Stranger Things season 5 is finally back in production, and Netflix could replace the cast with CGI.

Netflix scored one of its earliest and biggest hits in 2016 when the Duffer Brothers’ supernatural thriller show Stranger Things began streaming. The series was widely praised for its fusion of Steven Spielberg-like adventure, Lovecraftian horror, and teen drama and immediately became a signature original program for the platform.
It also made stars out of its cast, which included unknown young actors like Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, and Joe Keery.

In particular, Millie Bobby Brown became the breakout star of Stranger Things as the lead character Eleven, a psychokinetic child who escapes an experimental government facility run by Matthew Modine’s Dr Brenner. His experiment in psychic phenomena creates an interdimensional rift opening in the town of Hawkins, Indiana in 1983 and subsequent invasions by increasingly terrifying and powerful creatures.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Officially Abandoned, Star Replacing Johnny Depp in ‘Pirates’
Along with Modine, Stranger Things also features more established actors like Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Paul Reiser, Bret Gelman, and Sean Astin. Over the course of four seasons, the cast has expanded to include more breakout actors like Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, and Dacre Montgomery.

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Delays
Stranger Things season 5 was announced as the conclusion of the Duffer Brothers series and has been severely delayed by the recently concluded Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which prevented production from concluding.

But while the WGA made a satisfactory deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is still on strike.
According to the writers of Stranger Things season 5, if SAG-AFTRA does not do the same and end the strike, actors might have to be replaced by CGI duplicates.
King Steve Harrington
A recent Twitter post from @strangerwriters (the official writers room account of Stranger Things) stated, “Hope the studios make a fair deal with SAG soon or else season 5 is looking like this:” with a bizarrely rendered image of Joe Keery, who plays the fan-favorite character “King” Steve Harrington turning in surprise.
FYI this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this.
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 28, 2023
Subsequent posts in the thread explained, “FYI this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this” and “It’s rough animation of a scene. We only do it for scenes involving lots of VFX or complex action.”
While this is simply a digital visualization of a scripted scene used for reference, it is clear that Netflix really, really needs the actors guild to agree to a deal so it can keep Stranger Things season 5 moving forward.

The Future of ‘Stranger Things’
While Stranger Things season 5 will conclude the main show (much to the relief of Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour), Netflix is not letting go of the franchise that easily.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Reveals First Look at Replacement Actors
A stage play prequel titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow is premiering in London soon, while the Duffer Brothers are already working on an animated spinoff of the show, with others rumored to be in development. Hopefully, they won’t have to rely on CGI for too much longer.
What will happen in Stranger Things season 5? Are you ready for the show to end? Let us know in the comments!