Fans of Stranger Things will have to wait just a bit longer for the show's final season - as the Hollywood Writers' strike has caused delays in production.
Since the release of the critically acclaimed fourth season in July 2022, fans have been desperate for another round of adventures in Hawkins.
However, production on the Netflix hit's fifth season 'is not possible', as confirmed by the show's co-creators and show runners Matt and and Ross Duffer.
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In a statement released to Twitter, the Duffer brothers said: "Writing does not stop when filming begins.
"While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work.
"Until then — over and out."
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Programmes in general has been disrupted as a result of the writer's strike, which began on May 2 when talks broke down between the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
This has affected American television across the board, with some late night shows going 'dark' in solidarity with the strikers.
Over on Saturday Night Live, the final three episodes of the season were cancelled as a result of the strike action.
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Other shows affected also include Marvel's Blade and Apple TV's Loot.
The Writers Guild want to see an acknowledgement and correcting of the way that streaming services have affected the 'work, compensation and working conditions of writers'.
“We have not reached an agreement with the studios and streamers,” the Guild said in a statement released on Monday (1 May).
"We will be on strike after the contract expires at midnight.”
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Now that the fifth season of Stranger Things has been delayed, it is not known when production will pick back up again.
UNILAD has reached out to Netflix for comment.
This upcoming season, originally expected to be released in 2024, is highly anticipated to be an emotional rollercoaster.
According to the Duffer brothers, however, there were no dry eyes in the house when they presented the final season to the higher ups at Netflix.
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Matt said: "We did get our executives to cry, which I felt was a good sign that these executives were crying.
"The only other times I’ve seen them cry were like budget meetings."
And executive producer Shawn Levy added: "As a witness and having been in that two-hour pitch room and having read the first script.
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"I’m paralysed with fear that I’ll spoil anything, but I will say the thing about these Duffer brothers is that even though the show has gotten so famous and the characters have gotten so iconic and there’s so much about the ‘80s and the supernatural genre, it’s about these people, it’s about these characters.
"Season five is already so clearly taking care of these stories of the characters because that’s always been the lifeblood of Stranger Things."
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix
Ben Thompson