'Stranger Things' Season 5: Frank Darabont may helm two episodes
What's the story
Frank Darabont, the renowned director known for his work on The Shawshank Redemption, is reportedly coming out of retirement to direct two episodes of the final season of Stranger Things, reported The InSneider.
Darabont, who also significantly contributed to AMC's The Walking Dead as a showrunner in its first season, had previously announced his departure from filmmaking.
Despite this announcement, it seems that the Oscar-nominated director will be making a return with Stranger Things's fifth and final season.
Speculations
Darabont's involvement with 'Stranger Things' Season 5
Rumors about Darabont's potential involvement with Netflix's supernatural fantasy show first began circulating toward the end of 2023, indicating that negotiations might have been in progress.
Per the recent report, Darabont will be at the helm of episode three and episode five.
However, there has been no official confirmation from either Darabont or Netflix regarding his potential participation.
Production status
When will the new episodes be available?
Filming for the fifth season of Stranger Things began in January 2024, following a delay caused by strikes from WGA and SAG-AFTRA in 2023.
As of now, Netflix has not disclosed a release date for the new episodes. However, they are expected to be available on the streaming platform sometime in 2025.
The show stars Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, and Finn Wolfhard, among others.
Past engagements
Darabont was showrunner for initial season of 'The Walking Dead'
Previously, Darabont was the showrunner for the initial six-episode season of The Walking Dead before being dismissed ahead of Season 2 due to alleged budgetary constraints.
In 2013, he and the Creative Artists Agency filed a lawsuit against AMC, seeking an estimated $300M in profit participation payouts.
This legal dispute was settled in 2021, shortly before Darabont announced his retirement from the creative profession.
The director
Know more about Darabont and his work
Darabont has been nominated thrice at the Oscars!
He has been a screenwriter for projects such as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob, and The Fly II.
His directorial credits include the short film The Woman in the Room, and the features The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Majestic, and The Mist.
Out of these, TSR, TGM, and TM are based on Stephen King's writings.