Credit: NetflixAs we all wait for Stranger Things Season 5, even a release window for the release window would be something at this rate. Fortunately, there’s plenty of additional material to keep us occupied in the meantime: comic books, stage plays, virtual reality games, and more.
Still, we can’t help but wonder what the future has in store for our favorite Stranger Things characters and the actors who play them. While no one is expected to return after Season 5, their characters might, as there are a number of Stranger Things spinoffs in development.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Installment Featuring Entire Cast Likely to Keep Franchise Alive After Season 5
While the anime series Stranger Things: Tokyo is yet to be confirmed by Netflix or the Duffer brothers, we know that a Saturday morning cartoon-style series and a live-action series are definitely in the works. But, unfortunately, that’s all we know about them.
However, if the ongoing rumor that Terminator legend Linda Hamilton, best known for playing Sarah Connor in the iconic sci-fi franchise, is playing an older version of Eleven in Season 5 is true, it could mean that the character will get her own spinoff in the future (which would also be set in the future).
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ May Have Revealed Max’s Fate in Season 5
Of course, we know that Eleven actress Millie Bobby Brown won’t be returning after the final season, which would leave Linda Hamilton — assuming the rumors are true — to play the “future version” of the telekinetic teen in a standalone Stranger Things spinoff series.
If Hamilton is playing an older version of Eleven, it will probably be in some sort of flash-forward or perhaps through the means of actual time travel (the Upside Down is capable of many things), a concept the veteran Hollywood star is no stranger to, having starred in three Terminator movies.
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However, just like Millie Bobby Brown won’t be reprising her role as Eleven after Season 5, Hamilton won’t be “be back” as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise, either.
Linda Hamilton has played Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). While the first two films are widely praised classics, Dark Fate was met with negative reviews and failed to deliver at the box office.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Star Discusses Character Death Ahead of Season 5 Release
In an interview with Business Insider in February, the Dante’s Peak (1997) star explained that she has no plans to return to Terminator, saying, “I’m done. I’m done. I have nothing more to say. The story’s been told, and it’s been done to death.” In a more recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she explained how she was preparing to retire when she was offered the mystery role in Stranger Things.
We’ll just have to wait and see who she’s playing in Stranger Things Season 5 and whether or not she’ll utter the iconic phrase “I’ll be back” before the finale. On the other hand, Millie Bobby Brown has already revealed what happens to Eleven in the final season, which would make the Linda Hamilton scenario unlikely. Either way, if Eleven does return in one of the upcoming Stranger Things spinoffs, Brown won’t be back.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Has Revealed 3 Characters Likely to Die in Season 5
Stranger Things seasons 1 — 4 are now streaming on Netflix.
Stranger Things stars Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Bob Newby (Sean Astin), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven/Jane Hopper), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson), Paul Reiser (Dr. Sam Owens), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Matthew Modine (Papa/Martin Brenner), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), and Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna/One/Henry Creel).
Do you think Millie Bobby Brown will be replaced in Stranger Things? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!