“Stranger Things” Season 4 is coming sooner than you think — but its being split into two volumes.
The Duffer Brothers, Matt and Ross, alongside Netflix, confirmed the breaking up of the fourth season with Vol. 1 premiering on May 27, with Volume 2 dropping five weeks later on July 1.
In a letter shared online with fans Thursday, they credited the reason for the split due to the runtime length of Season 4 being “nearly twice” that of previous seasons.
They wrote: “With nine scripts, over eight-hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime of nearly twice the length of any previous season, ‘Stranger Things 4’ was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one. Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
‘Stranger Things’ Will End With Season 5
They also noted, however, that the story of the Hawkins, Indiana now-teens, will be coming to an end, revealing in their letter that Season 5 will be the show’s last.
The producers wrote that they had planned the “complete arc” of the show seven years ago, predicting the show would last “four to five seasons.” But, “it proved too large to tell in four, but — as you’ll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale,” they wrote.
“There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of ‘Stranger Things’; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes,” they wrote. “But first we hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down. As always, we are grateful for your patience and support.”
A logline for Season 4 from Netflix addressed the themes of the upcoming split season:
It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
Netflix released a trailer last fall that promised many of the same thrills as the previous seasons, though with an additional California setting.
Production for “Stranger Things” Season 4 was just starting up when the pandemic hit and shut things down, with filming then resuming in late 2020 but not wrapping until well into 2021. Executive producer Shawn Levy previously blamed the delay on the combination of COVID and the fact that Season 4 is the show’s biggest season yet from a production standpoint.
“Stranger Things” is produced for Netflix by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment. The Duffer brothers executive produce the series with Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen at 21 Laps Entertainment and Iain Paterson.
Several new posters also dropped Thursday. See them below.