Stranger Things team is "going full force" with season 5

It feels like Stranger Things season 5 has undergone one of the longest productions in history. There've been myriad delays, most notably from the lengthy strikes that washed over the industry in 2023. Had there been no pushbacks, Stranger Things would most likely be complete by now and our focus would be on spinoffs. But as filming slogs on, star Gaten Matarazzo is counting down the days until it's all over.

Matarazzo has portrayed fan-favorite Dustin in the show since season 1. He's grown up on the show, aged just 13 when he started; now he's 21 and struggling to convincingly play a teenager. When asked by TMZ about whether he's concerned that he's outgrowing the role, he agreed that the team is working around the clock to get the final season out as quickly as possible. “That’s the hope, yeah,” he said.

He went on to explain that everyone involved is "going full force" to deliver the final act. “Well we want to get it out as quickly as we can, you know what I mean? It’s just a big season so it’s taken a bit to shoot and there are a little bit of delays from the pandemic and both of the strikes and stuff.”

As for whether Dustin will be killed off, Matarazzo joked, “I’m gonna go for myself I think — why not?” However, in all seriousness, he wants to embrace his final days on set and get involved as much as possible. “I hope toward the end of it, if it’s gonna happen, I want to be in it as much as I can. I want to hang out with my buds as much as I can."

The final season of Stranger Things doesn't have a release date yet. Given that it's still in production, don't expect it to premiere anytime soon. Sometime in the back half of 2025 seems a reasonable estimate.

Gaten Matarazzo "absolutely despised" filming Eddie Munson's final scene

Stranger Things has had more than its fair share of heartbreaking scenes over the years, from Chrissy's death to Bob's demise. But if there's one scene that really pulled on everyone's heartstrings, it was Hellfire Club leader Eddie Munson's (Joseph Quinn) death scene. Munson went down like a badass, meeting his end whilst helping to save the world.

His final scene, which featured Dustin watching over him as he died, was a real tear-jerker. According to Matarazzo, the process of filming it was one of the toughest moments from his time on the show. "We filmed that twice because I absolutely despised the first time we filmed that," he told ScreenRant. "He was so good and I just wasn't centering. It was outside at 5:00 AM, we'd already done a whole day of filming, and we were just drained and I just didn't, just wasn't there."

Of course, there are plenty of rumors that Eddie Munson will come back from the dead in the final season. The idea isn't unprecedented; Stranger Things has previously brought back Jim Hopper from the clutches of death. The theories are everywhere, and Joseph Quinn has been playing it coy when asked about potentially reprising his role. Let's wait and see!

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