‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 is ‘basically 8 movies,’ star Maya Hawke says

“Stranger Things” Season 5 is set to deliver an ambitious experience, spanning eight “very long” episodes, according to Maya Hawke, who plays Robin on the Netflix show.

Hawke gave insight into the show’s production for the final season on the June 27 episode of the “Podcrushed” podcast.

“We’re making basically eight movies,” Hawke, 25, explained. “The episodes are very long.”

The “Inside Out 2” actress said the episodes will take a full year to shoot. 

When “Podcrushed” co-host Penn Badgely remarked that a year is a long time to film a TV show, Hawke flatly affirmed, “Yes it is — that’s true.”

Hawke’s confirmation of “movie”-like episodes counters what showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer said on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast two years ago. At the time, the brothers said they “don’t expect” Season 5’s episodes to be as long, except for the last episode.

“It’s going to be moving fast,” Matt said on the July 2022 episode. “Characters are already going to be in action, they’re already going to have a goal and a drive, and I think that’s going to carve out at least a couple hours and make this season feel really different.”

Clearly, things have changed.

“Stranger Things” producer Shawn Levy, who directed one of the episodes in the fifth season, told Total Film magazine: “There’s no way to be contiguous with Season 4, and not, frankly, expand scale and depth.”

Originally slated to begin production in May 2023, Season 5 faced many delays due to unforeseen circumstances and finally started production in January.

“The show is cursed,” said Hawke. “The pandemic happened right as we were starting the Season 4, the strike happened right as we were starting this season.”

There will be a three-year gap between Seasons 4 and 5, which is the same amount of time there was between Seasons 3 and 4. Season 4 faced delays due to COVID-19.

Hawke also emphasized the dedication of the Duffer brothers, highlighting their meticulous approach to writing and production. 

“We are very lucky and our showrunners Matt and Ross really take a lot of responsibility,” she said. “They have an amazing team of writers but they’re very involved and they write a lot and they are very intense and serious about the quality of the continued writing, and so it takes a long time to write each season, and it takes a long time to shoot them.”

When asked about her experience joining the show in the third season after it had an established, close-knit cast, Hawke admitted “it was intimidating.”

She quipped: “Especially because I’m a person that loves TV.”

“I often feel that when they bring in new characters in shows that I get frustrated. I like my original cast. I don’t need this to follow this new plot line,” she explained. “I was worried about people feeling about my character that way.”

But, the show did it the right way, and tends to always bring in new characters without “leaving them out to dry on their own arc,” she said, allowing for viewers to connect with them.

Robin joined the show’s storyline alongside Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), who was in the show since Season 1. The same thing occurred when Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) were introduced to the plot in Seasons 4 and 2 alongside original characters Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin).

All quickly became fan favorites.

Quinn, 30, teased that he might reprise his role as Munson in the final season, despite the character’s tragic demise.

“I might have that feeling too,” the actor told Entertainment Tonight of a potential comeback at the June 26 New York premiere of “A Quiet Place: Day One.”

“Or maybe I don’t. Who knows? Maybe I do…” he added. 

Regardless of Eddie’s fate, Quinn expressed his desire to revisit the “Stranger Things” set for its last episodes.

“I love those guys. I’d love to come and say hello,” the actor told ET. “I’m sure they’re working very hard to land the plane. It’s a long time they’ve been working on that so I’m really delighted they’re getting toward the end and they’re having a nice time. I’m sure they’re gonna deliver it in a pretty epic finale.”

Hawke told ET that it’s “heartbreaking” that the show is coming to an end.

“It’s the end of a really long journey,” the “Do Revenge” actress said. “Longer for some of my castmates, even, than for me. So it’s really sentimental. But as a late addition cast member, I feel like it’s my job to be here to facilitate their feelings and just be grateful and excited to have been a part of it at all.”

Millie Bobby Brown, meanwhile, is ready to move on from her Eleven role.

“I’m definitely ready to wrap up. I feel like there’s a lot of the story that’s been told now,” the actress, 20, told Seventeen magazine in March 2023. “It’s been in our lives for a very long time. But I’m very ready to say goodbye to this chapter of my life, and open new ones up.”

The show also stars Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Dyer, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour and Winona Ryder.

Season 5 is expected to debut in 2025.