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Credit: NetflixExcitement is brewing once again for the next installment in Netflix’s huge hit, Stranger Things. The popular science-fiction meets horror television show has been entertaining fans since 2016 when season 1 dropped onto the streamer. Alongside the likes of Wednesday and Bridgerton, Stranger Things ranks as one of the most powerful forces in TV streaming history.
And the next season, the fifth and final one of the drama series, will feature an 80s star who is completely done with one iconic franchise.
Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s biggest shows. The first volume of the most recent season clocked in 278 billion hours viewed in its first week on the streaming service in May 2022. The second volume followed in July 2022. Thanks to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, the Duffer Brothers’ smash-hit will not return in 2024 (and neither will Tim Burton’s Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega) and is instead eyeing a 2025 release–three years after the last entry.
With a stellar cast featuring the likes of Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven/Jane (another actress is reported to be appearing as Eleven in the new season), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), and Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Stranger Things has received acclaim for its classic horror influences, its 80s setting, characterization, and thrilling score. Season 4 saw 80s songstress Kate Bush’s anthem “Running Up That Hill” fly to the top of the UK charts and rank third in the Billboard Hot 100 37 years after its initial release.
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The cinematic finale of season 4 saw Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), and Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) take on Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in the Upside Down and left Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) sacrificing himself for the greater good. All eyes are now on just what Vecna has in store for the people of Hawkins in the upcoming final chapter of the franchise.
And while there will be many familiar faces–even Noah Schapp is returning despite his controversial behavior surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict–at least one newcomer has been announced as joining the cast: 80s action star Linda Hamilton.
Hamilton rose to international recognition by playing Sarah Connor in the Terminator film franchise alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays the titular killer robot. She has starred as the character in The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). The Terminator movie series is a hugely popular property, but its later installments have left much to be desired. Terminator: Dark Fate, for example, grossed just $261 million at the global box office during its theatrical run on an almost $200 million budget, making it one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.
Hamilton has just spoken out about her iconic Sarah Connor role and how she is done playing the character and being part of the Terminator franchise. Over the years, many projects have been announced and canceled due to the underperformance of the series. Hamilton recently spoke with Business Insider about returning to the world of the Terminator and Skynet.
“I’m done. I’m done. I have nothing more to say. The story’s been told, and it’s been done to death,” Hamilton told the outlet. “Why anybody would relaunch it is a mystery to me. But I know our Hollywood world is built on relaunches right now.”
Hollywood does position itself in favor of reboots, but there is always the question of whether originality could win out against revisiting past successes. As for Terminator, there is currently an anime series in the works with Netflix, and at the end of 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron said he was considering a new reboot of the franchise but that nothing was set in stone.
Later, in 2023, after Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would never return to the series, Cameron was reportedly working on a script for a new chapter in the film series, likely one that would reset the continuity and bring in a whole new cast. More information on that project has not been revealed.
Related: Margot Robbie, Henry Cavill Shock the Internet as Leads of ‘Terminator’ Reboot
Fans of Hamilton may not see her as Sarah Connor ever again, but they will surely see her new character in Stranger Things Season 5. Her role is yet to be disclosed. The actress has spoken out about how her being a fan of the show, and the fact that she does not watch her own performances means she will be missing out on seeing the end of this game-changing TV series.
The fifth season will likely draw inspiration from the latest Stranger Things installment, Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Arriving on London’s West End in late 2023, the stage production acts as a direct prequel to the TV show, following the high school life of many familiar faces like Joyce, Karen, and Hopper, as well as depicting just how Henry Creel became the villainous One, AKA Vecna.
Will you be tuning in to see Linda Hamilton star in Stranger Things? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven/Jane, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel/Vecna/One.