Director Frank Darabont Reveals Why He Came Out of Retirement to Direct STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Episodes
Frank Darabont, the director behind two of the best Stephen King film adaptations ever, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, came out of retirement to direct two episodes of Stranger Things Season 5.
To be honest with you, I didn’t even know that Darabont was retired! After his work on The Walking Dead, the neo-noir crime drama Mob City, starring Jon Bernthal, which was canceled after one season, and that lawsuit he went through with AMC,I just assumed he was taking a break. But, it turns out he just up and retired.
Darabont recently talked to The Daily Beast, and during the interview, he revealed why he came out of retirement to direct a couple of episodes of Stranger Things Season 5.
He shared: "What really dragged me out of retirement was that my wife and I really love this show. Our content now is so filled with horrible people doing horrible things for greedy reasons but Stranger Things has so much heart. That positivity is something I really responded to."
I love that Darabont came on to Stranger Things because of the heart and positivity of the show. That’s really cool, but I would love Darabont to direct another movie again one day.
Darabont is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers and I just hope that when he directed those two episodes of Stranger Things, it inspired him to want to make another movie. But, if he chooses to just go back into retirement, then at least we got those Stranger Things episodes from him.
With Stephen King being a major influence on Stranger Things, Darabont seems like a great fit for the show. storyteller and filmmaker, a master of the craft.
Shawn Levy (Deadpool 3) and The Duffer Brothers will direct other episodes in the final season of Stranger Things with the Duffers taking on 5 of the 8 episodes.
Stranger Things’ final season will be its largest yet, with feature-length episodes. When previously talking about the final season, Ross Duffer shared that this final chapter of the story is going to be an emotional arc for Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and that it will tie the entire series together.
Ross Duffer explained: "Will really takes center stage again in [season] 5. This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality – it’s Will coming into his own as a young man."
When previously describing Stranger Things 5, the writing team said the next chapter of the story, “is like if Season 1 and 4 had a baby. And then that baby was injected with steroids."
While we don’t know much about what the story will entail, we do know the final episodes "circle back to Season 1." Matt Duffer previously said: "We're starting to see his coming of age, really, which has been challenging for a number of reasons; some of which are supernatural. But you're starting to see him come into his own.”
Ross Duffer added: "I think you'll see that with a couple of the character arcs, not just with Will. But also with Steve and Nancy, and her relationship with Jonathan, where things are not fully resolved. The characters have maybe made steps, like in the case of Will, but that journey isn't over yet. All of that is going to play a huge role as we try to wrap this thing up next season."
Noah Schnapp also said: "I can just tell you that I'm very very excited for what's to come. I think they did a great job with Will's character this season, and beautifully addressed everything they needed to. The way they closed the show is just perfect -- the story started with Will, and it'll end with Will."
The show is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, and follows a group of friends as they investigate supernatural occurrences and government conspiracies as it plunges the small midwestern town into an apocalyptic nightmare. The series has been praised for its strong cast, twisted storylines, and nostalgic references to 1980s pop culture, which Hamilton fits right into.
Stranger Things 5 will be the last time Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Max (Sadie Sink), and the rest of the Hawkins gang are all together for one last fight against the villainous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).