Stranger Things is first and foremost a tribute to pop culture from the 1980s. Whether it’s the books of Stephen King or the movies of Steven Spielberg, the show is swimming in this stuff. And it’s not just about people named Steve. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have drafted a host of acting greats who made their mark in the 1980s into the cast, from Goonies star Sean Astin to The Princess Bride fan favorite Cary Elwes to Nightmare on Elm Street frontman Robert Englund to Winona Ryder, who plays Will’s mom Joyce Byers. Ryder is the biggest ’80s star of them all, having starred in classics like Beetlejuice and Heathers.
So the Duffers like the ’80s. So it’s no surprise at all that Linda Hamilton, star of the first two Terminator movies alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, will be joining the cast of Stranger Things for its fifth and final season.
The announcement was made at Netflix’s TUDUM event, teed off by none other than Schwarzenegger himself, who is currently starring in the Netflix show FUBAR:
Arnold Schwarzenegger announces that Linda Hamilton is joining the cast of Stranger Things
Incidentally, if an ’80s icon like Schwarzenegger joined the cast of Stranger Things, I think the Duffers would spontaneously combust in happiness and would be unable to actually finish making the show, so it’s probably for the best that he doesn’t.
We don’t know who Hamilton might be playing. Despite this announcement Stranger Things is in limbo at the moment; it’s one of several shows that is putting off production while Hollywood waits out the current writers strike. Hopefully season 5 will come out sometime in 2024.
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