STRANGER THINGS Producer Shawn Levy Says Actors Won't Be De-Aged in Season 5
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things has yet to be shot and all those young actors that were cast in the series aren’t so young anymore. The longer they wait to shoot the next season, the older they get. Regardless of that, producer Shawn Levy has no intention of de-aging the principal cast.
Levy previously said that the producers of the show would do whatever they could to make the kids’ aging seem less apparent because several years have passed since the previous season wrapped production. However, he recently clarified that no CGI will be used to de-age. When asked about that in an interview with Deadline, he said:
“No. I kind of was surprised that one sentence I said around this topic traveled so widely. The bottom line is, we know what we’re doing on this show. Our cast is brilliant. And these characters that the Duffers have created are so vivid. I’m not worried about everyone suiting back up and bringing them to life.”
Stranger Things Season 5 was originally set to begin filming earlier this summer prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Things are just in a holding pattern until all that stuff is figured out. When talking about the final season, co-creator 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 described the next chapter of the story is “like if Season 1 and 4 had a baby. And then that baby was injected with steroids."
We know that 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.