*WARNING: This article may contain spoilers*
Stranger Things season four might have only dropped on Netflix in the summer of 2022, but it sounds like what the creators Matt and Ross Duffer have in store for fans in season five is going to be one hell of a tearjerker.
Last year Netflix released part one (or 'volume one') of season four after a three-year wait for a follow up to season three. Part four volume two dropped on the streaming platform on July 1, 2022, six weeks after the mid-season finale. It was then confirmed the penultimate episode would be a whopping 85 minutes long, while the finale would be almost a feature-length film, rounding things off in two-and-a-half hours.
As fans of the show continue to mourn season four's end, the creators have teased some tidbits of information pertaining to season five.
Here's everything you need to know about rumours of Stranger Things Season 5.
In June 2022 the Duffer brothers - who executive produce, direct and write the series - discussed their plans for the fifth season with The Wrap.
'We do have an outline for Season 5 and we pitched it to Netflix and they really responded well to it,' said Matt. 'I mean, it was hard. It's the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I've never seen cry before and it was wild.
'And it's not just to do with the story, just the fact that it's like, "Oh my God, this thing that has defined so many of our lives, these Netflix people who has been with us from the beginning, seven years now", and it's hard to imagine the journey coming to an end,' he explained.
The co-creator also added that rather than build up to a big moment towards the end of season five, he and his brother plan to go hell for leather when it comes to the drama.
'Normally it's like, "Oh, we get to revisit the characters in their normal lives and how they're doing and what are their relationships like?" And five is just going to be pedal to the metal from the opening scene. At least that's what I remember from the outline.'
In an interview in August 2021 with The Hollywood Reporter, co-creator Ross Duffer revealed that a fifth season was on the cards, noting: 'Season 4 won't be the end [of Stranger Things]. We know what the end is, and we know when it is.
'[The pandemic] has given us time to look ahead, figure out what is best for the show. Starting to fill that out gave us a better idea of how long we need to tell that story.'
We love the fact the Duffer duo know exactly what's in store for Eleven and her pals and sound to be enjoying teasing their fans. Bring it on!
In November 2022 the Stranger Things Twitter account shared a photo of the first page of the script for season five, episode one to mark Stranger Things Day on November 6. The date marks when Noah Schnapp's character Will Byers first went missing in the first season.
'To close out #StrangerThingsDay, very excited to reveal that the Stranger Things 5 premiere episode is titled... THE CRAWL,' the post read.
Understandably the teaser has sent Stranger Things fans wild, with some thinking the episode title hints at the return character, while others think the title is a reference to the lyrics of 'Master of Puppets' ('Come crawling faster / Obey your master'), and a potentially a nod to Eddie being alive (despite him looking pretty dead at the end of season four...).
Netflix revealed as part of its annual Tudum fan event in June, that Terminator actor Linda Hamilton will be joining the cast of the show for the upcoming season, although they remained tight-lipped about the character she'll play.
Hamilton will join regular cast members including Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Noah Schnapp (Will), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), David Harbour (Hopper) and Winona Ryder (Joyce) for the final fight in Hawkins.
In February 2023 Harbour insisted the series has to come to a close.
'I'm feeling exhausted already,' he told Discussing Film. 'I feel like I need a nap. Just thinking about the year, it's going to be crazy. It's nothing like I've ever done before.
'You know, Stranger Things had to go. We have to get going because the kids are growing up, we got to shoot this thing!'
When the show first began, Harbour says he 'never ever wanted it to end', but now he's prepared to work on new projects.
'Now we're almost nine years from filming the first season, and I think it is time for it to end,' the actor noted. 'But it is, of course, very bittersweet. You know, there's a sadness there. But also, we've all grown up. It is time for us to leave that nest and try other things and different projects.
'And to let the Duffer Brothers try different things as well. I mean, those guys are so talented. I want to see what they come up with next. So, it is bittersweet but it's definitely time.'
The actor also revealed in an interview with Variety that he has long been aware of the show's conclusion. 'I know what happens and it's quite moving, and quite beautiful,' he said - while remaining understandably tight-lipped on the details.
In an interview with Gold Derby in June 2022, Harbour seemingly opened up about the possibility of episodes beyond season four prior to season five's confirmation.
'I will tell you in Season 4 and in Season 5, if we're ever able to film again, there is a lot to be revealed around the complexities of [Hopper's] story, which is really rich, and I'm really excited for you to see,' he stated.
'Because we know the ending, you'll be able to go back and watch it and see, you know, what we were planting in Season 3 that paid off in Season 4 and Season 5.'
The news came after the season three finale saw his character sacrifice himself so that Joyce Byers (played by Winona Ryder) could close the gate on the Upside Down while he was trapped in a room with a deadly laser.
While many fans believed Hopper to have died, the closing scenes suggested he was, in fact, alive. In September 2019, the show's creators released a trailer for its fourth series which showed a glimpse of what appears to be Hopper and Eleven's house in the woods in the Upside Down.
In the 45-second clip, the house's outside light shines, flickers and then goes out before the words 'We're not in Hawkins anymore' appear across the screen.
Netflix later confirmed that Harbour was set to return for season four when it released a video of the Stranger Things 4 table read which features actors Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, Natalia Dyer, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Maya Hawke, and Harbour.
Seeing as season four only dropped on Netflix in the summer of 2022, we think we'll be waiting quite some time for season five. In an interview with GQ last year, David Harbour confirmed this theory, saying: 'I think we'll [shoot] next year. They're finishing writing it this year, and they need to prep and stuff, so hopefully it'll be this year. But I think that's the plan. So it'd probably come out mid-2024, based on our track record.'
And more recently, Harbour has revealed that the show won't actually start filming until June 2023 - so we're likely looking at an even longer wait than we originally thought. Speaking with Collider, the actor said: 'We're walking into season five. I've got a couple more months to train. We start shooting that in June, though, and that will be the final season.'
We will continue updating this piece as more information comes in.