Credit: Inside the MagicWhile Stranger Things prepares for its epic finale, fans are already looking ahead beyond the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series.
Of course, anticipation for Season 5 itself couldn’t be higher. Volume 1 recently premiered on the streaming service, giving viewers the first four episodes.
The next three episodes will stream on December 25 (Christmas Day) and the finale on December 31 (but note that availability depends on your region/time zone).
Audiences have waited a long time to find out how characters such as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Jim Hopper (David Harbour), and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) will defeat Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Upside Down after that epic Season 4 finale cliffhanger, which saw the “dark wizard” literally tear Hawkins down the middle.
But while Season 5 is confirmed to be the last, the franchise will continue in other mediums. Recent years have seen the flagship series adapted to video games, tie-in novels, comic books, and even a West End stage production.
Next year, however, will see Stranger Things get a Saturday morning cartoon TV show-inspired makeover with Tales From ’85.
Set between season 2 and 3, the upcoming 3D animated series will focus on several main characters from the flagship series as they confront new threats from the Upside Down. Watch the official teaser, which features commentary from Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer and Tales From ’85 showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Being Repurposed for Younger Viewers Once Main Series Ends
Although it’s only a fleeting look at the show’s animation style, some new screenshots from have now been revealed. Shared with EW.com, three new images show Eleven using her powers with Mike in the background, Max and Lucas investigating in the dark, and the entire Stranger Things kid ensemble exploring an ominous wintry woodland.
While many fans will be wondering how the new in-between-season series fits into the main show without breaking canon, showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles tells Entertainment Weekly that he found a few “loopholes” that will explain how never-before-seen monsters will appear without the need of those interdimensional portals:
“I dissected the [main live-action] show, looking for any loopholes. I found a few of ’em. And then I found this one idea that I was just like, ‘Oh s—! I think that’s it.’ What is this big idea? Hawkins Lab science meets Upside Down matter. There’s a chain reaction to the creatures that are in our world and the things that are popping up.”
Robles also suggests that future seasons of the animated show will remain under the Tales From ’85 banner, adding that if they “need to keep going” that they “definitely can do it.”
“It would connect perfectly with the timeline in that sense,” he says, “but allowing [it] to still have enough ample time to tell these stories within as many seasons as needed.”
The cast from the main series, however, won’t be returning. Tales From ’85 stars Brett Gipson as Jim Hopper, Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair, Ben Plessala as Will Byers, and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport Max Mayfield.
Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips also voice undisclosed parts.
Where Can I Watch Stranger Things?
Stranger Things seasons 1 — 4 and Season 5 Volume 1 are now streaming on Netflix.
Stranger Things Season 5 stars Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna/Henry Creel), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Are you excited for the rest of Season 5 and the upcoming animated series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments down below!