“Stranger Things” co-creator Ross Duffer wished the cast and crew a “happy halfway” — alerting fans that the fifth and final season is halfway through filming.
“Week 24. Happy halfway to the best cast and crew ever,” Duffer posted on instagram Wednesday, partnered with a full cast and crew photo.
Along with the photo, he posted a clip of actor Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mile Wheeler in the series. He can be seen placing a marble into a jar, each marble signifying one week of filming.
“How does it feel?” Duffer asked Wolfhard.
“Exactly the same” Wolfhard joked before high-fiving the writer.
For impatient fans, this might not be the most exciting news. Filming began in early January, meaning that it will likely wrap up at the end of 2024. Post production will follow — which could take a few months.
The final season has been a long time coming. The Duffer brothers began working on the finale back in August of 2022. Production was initially set to begin the following summer. However, due to the writers and actors strikes, that didn’t happen.
On May 6th, 2023 the Duffer brothers shut down their writers room, which reopened in October after the writers strike was resolved.
On the bright side, fans aren’t completely in the dark about what the new season has in store. Since production began, the “Stranger Things” team has not been shy about discussing and posting sneak peaks of the upcoming season.
Actress Maya Hawke, who plays Robin Buckley, even revealed that they are “making basically eight movies,” on an episode of the “Podcrushed” podcast in June. Duffer has also been posting updates on his instagram throughout the last 24 weeks.
“Stranger Things” season 5 will stream on Netflix.