Stranger Things season 4 filming is taking longer than usual

Why is Stranger Things season 4 taking so long?

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Stranger Things season 4 production update. According to a report from People, it sounds like filming is taking a lot more time than it did in previous seasons.

Gaten Matarazzo, who stars as Dustin Henderson in the most popular Netflix show, shared some thoughts about the new season recently. Matarazzo told People:

"“It’s definitely a slower process than usual, which is really saying something because we take our sweet time making the show anyway.”"

It’s true that the Stranger Things cast and crew do take their time to film seasons. The series has had pretty lengthy productions for the second and third seasons, at least. Production on the fourth season will be the longest so far.

That’s to be expected, though. This is the first time, basically, that the show moved out of Georgia for production. They filmed in Lithuania in early 2020 before ramping up production in Georgia. It’s been reported that Stranger Things season 4 production moves to New Mexico soon, but we don’t know what the deal is with that yet. We’ve only heard rumors.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, filming has been a challenge for all shows, not just Stranger Things. But, Stranger Things is unique in that the show has such a big cast. In previous seasons, there were lots of characters on screen together at the same time. That’s problematic during the pandemic.

Matarazzo also told People:

"“And I think the most important thing is that when we’re working, we’re all staying safe.”"

That’s definitely the most important thing. As much as we all want to see Stranger Things season 4, almost all fans are only worried about the safety of the cast and crew. We all want them to be safe and healthy during this process.

So, it might take a little longer, but as long as Stranger Things season 4 filming continues in a safe and healthy way for those involved, I think fans will be happy to see the season whenever it hits Netflix.

When will Stranger Things season 4 be finished filming?

We don’t know that yet, but I’m assuming production on Stranger Things season 4 will wrap sometime this spring. There had been rumors that production would wrap in Georgia in December, but it’s unclear if that happened. Production had also been rumored to start in New Mexico in December, but we haven’t seen any updates on that front either.

Basically, it’s just a waiting game at this point, and that’s because there are way too many factors and variables in play with the pandemic. Things, as we have seen, can change in one day.

Looking at production timelines for other seasons, Stranger Things season 4 should be a few months away from wrapping. It depends on how much of the season was filmed in Lithuania and how much needs to be filmed in New Mexico.

I think we’ll have a much clearer picture of the Stranger Things season 4 release date within the coming months. Hopefully, production will be done in time for Netflix to release the season in 2021. Based on the timelines of other seasons, production would likely have to wrap by May 2021 for a late 2021 release date to be possible.

That rumored release date you’re seeing online probably isn’t real.

Stranger Things season 4 is the scariest season yet

In an interview with US Weekly, Matarazzo also compared season 4 to other seasons, and it sounds like the creative team is ramping up the horror elements in season 4.

Here’s what Matarazzo told US Weekly:

"“I think most would probably say it’s the scariest [season] out of the previous three, which I love because it’s very fun to film.”"

That’s what we’ve heard from other Stranger Things season 4 stars, including Joe Keery and others. That’s good news for fans who like the big-time scares in Stranger Things, and it’s probably bad for those that don’t like them.

There’s so much at stake in the new season. I don’t know how it could get any darker or scarier, but that’s why I don’t write the show (among other reasons). I can’t wait to see what the Duffer brothers and the creative team came up with for the new season. There’s so much potential for scares!

We’ve got The Hellfire Club and D&D mystery, and then there’s everything that is happening in Russia. If you think Joyce and the Byers are moving to a safe location, think again! It’s going to be scary there, too. On top of it all, there’s a psychiatric facility storyline in the new season, AND Robert Englund, who played Freddy Kreuger in Nightmare on Elm Street, is one of the patients. Yeah, it’s going to get scary!

We’ll let you know more about Stranger Things season 4 when we find out. Stay tuned!