STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Started Filming Without a Finished Finale Script and the Duffers Say It Was Scary
A new behind-the-scenes reveal for Stranger Things has added fuel to the already intense conversation surrounding the series finale. Creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer have confirmed they began filming the fifth and final season without having the finale script locked. It’s a confession that might surprise fans and raise some eyebrows.
The admission comes straight from Netflix’s newly released documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, which dropped on January 12. While the series has always been carefully plotted, the brothers say this time they were racing the clock.
"We went into production without having a finished script for the finale. That was scary because we wanted to get it right. It was the most important script of the season,"
Matt Duffer explains in the documentary, underscoring just how much pressure was riding on the ending. With the show’s legacy on the line, every choice carried weight.
The film also shows the creative debates that shaped the ending, especially when it came to Eleven’s fate. At one point, Ross Duffer lays out a particularly dark direction the finale could’ve taken.
"The whole episode has to be building towards, 'Eleven is going to kill herself'"
That idea didn’t sit comfortably with Matt, who worried about pushing the audience too far with repeated fake-outs. After a lot of back-and-forth, the brothers landed on a compromise that ultimately made it into the finished version of Stranger Things Season 5. As Ross puts it, the key was to “keep it ambiguous.”
Beyond the high-stakes writing process, One Last Adventure also captures more emotional moments, including the cast’s final goodbye once filming wrapped. After nearly a decade together, the farewell hits hard and serves as a reminder of how much this series has meant to everyone involved.
Still, it’s the unfinished finale script revelation that’s grabbing the most attention, especially given how much debate already surrounds the ending. It also explains why the finale played out like it did. They were rushed and scrambling to figure it out. The Duffers’ comments feel like throwing gasoline on an already raging fire.
The brothers have also shared other details about paths they considered for the finale. At one stage, Vecna was meant to switch sides. Another version leaned heavily into an all-out final battle with Demogorgons. There was even a plan for a massive three-hour finale, which may explain why the script took so long to fully come together.
What do you all think about about the way Stranger Things came to a close?