Matt and Ross Duffer said their journey to the Stranger Things ending, set to release on December 31, has been emotional for them as creators, promising a conclusive finale that carries a small clue for the franchise’s future.
The showrunners detailed the intense process of writing and filming the series’ conclusion, revealing they structured production so each actor’s last day of filming was their character’s final scene, leading to an unusually raw and emotional environment on set.
The End of an Era for the Duffers
For nearly a decade, the final scene of Stranger Things has been the “North Star” guiding Matt and Ross Duffer’s creative decisions. They have known this ending for years, with Ross Duffer stating their goal was for the entire series to feel like one complete, connected story for future binge-watchers.
“When we finish a season, there’s always the safety net of ‘Oh, we get to go back to these characters,’” said Ross Duffer. “That is going to be the hardest thing to adjust to, when it’s January 1 and it’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t have that!’”
The final season, which has been split into three volumes, carries a reported budget of $50 million to $60 million per episode. The first four episodes premiered in November, the next three arrived as Volume 2 on December 26, and the feature-length finale, Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, will stream on December 31.
Finale Secrecy and the Weight of Goodbye
To protect the finale’s secrets, the Duffer Brothers took extensive precautions, including printing the final script on red paper to make it difficult to photocopy and sharply limiting who could see it. Most of the cast, including Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), received scripts on an episode-by-episode basis and were kept in the dark about the ultimate conclusion until the very end.
The production schedule was meticulously organized so that each actor filmed their final scene on their last day on set. The Duffers said this led to some of the most authentic performances in the show’s history, as the actors’ real-life emotions about ending this chapter bled directly into their work.
“We were able to organise the schedule in such a way that everybody’s final day on set, they were shooting their final scene,” Matt Duffer explained. “Each of those days was extremely emotional.”
Addressing Fan Theories and the Question of Death
With the final battle against Vecna looming, speculation has been rampant about which main characters might not survive. The Duffers directly addressed these theories, assuring fans they are not aiming for a shocking bloodbath.
“We’re not gonna wipe out eight of our characters,” Ross Duffer said, referencing the infamous “Red Wedding” episode of Game of Thrones. “We’re not doing anything for shock value.”
They emphasized that any character deaths in the finale would need to feel “earned” and have a clear narrative purpose, citing the lasting impact of Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) death as a benchmark. Their hope is not that every fan gets exactly the ending they want, but that the conclusion feels “inevitable” and true to the story they’ve told for nine years.
A Hidden Clue and the Future of the Franchise
While Season 5 concludes the story of Hawkins, Indiana, it is not the end of the Stranger Things universe. A live-action spinoff series is in early development, which the Duffers confirm they will be “heavily involved” in. They describe it as a completely new story with new characters, set in a different location and time period than the original show.
Intriguingly, the series finale of the main show contains a small scene that offers a direct hint about this new chapter.
“There’s one small scene in the finale that gives a hint as to what the spin-off will be,” Ross Duffer revealed. “We’ll see if people pick up on it.”
Beyond television, the franchise continues through other projects. The award-winning stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which explores the origins of Henry Creel, is currently running on Broadway. The Duffers have also been involved with the upcoming animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, set for release next year.
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For the creators, the finale represents both a massive achievement and a profound personal shift. As they move from Netflix to a new film and television deal at Paramount, they leave behind the show that defined them. They hope the ending provides a mix of satisfaction and the bittersweet feeling of a proper goodbye.
