If there’s one thing that can generally be agreed on about Stranger Things, it’s that the cast is so dang big. Between the Hawkins kids and their family members being spread out across the country making new friends, the various government and supernatural figures, and Hopper’s party in Russia, you could really feel like the fourth season was straining to give everyone something to do. Juggling so many characters isn’t an easy task, particularly when so many of them suddenly become fan favourites overnight.
But for the fifth and final season, creators Ross and Matt Duffer plan on keeping the focus on the show’s previously established characters. Speaking to IndieWire, the brothers confessed that they would “do our best” to not add new characters. Matt in particular said the final season would focus on “the OG characters,” so presumably the Hawkins kids, Hopper, and Joyce Byers who began this all back in season one.
The brothers further acknowledged the risk of introducing new characters, which often comes at the expense of screen time for veteran cast members. “Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative,” said Ross. Using Joseph Quinn’s Eddie as an example, Ross continued that from conception to casting, they’re “careful” about the process of bringing new blood into the show. “We can’t add someone that’s going to just take away from our characters if they’re not terrific.”
Whenever a new actor is added to the cast, they’re aware of the risk that comes with getting a plotline to make them fit with the rest of the show, continued Matt. But for the most part, the brothers have found that the new additions have paid off, such as Sadie Sink’s Max and Maya Hawke’s Robin. “Because these actors are amazing it’s just really fun. I just like shaking it up, so we shake it up by changing the plot or adding in a new monster.”
Stranger Things’ fifth and final season will hit Netflix in 2024.
[via IGN]
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