Stranger Things season 5 rumor suggests potential Thanksgiving 2024 drop (but that's highly unlikely)

As much as fans would love for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things to drop in their watch lists like yesterday, we're still a ways off from getting all of our questions answered. Following the resolution of the strikes in later 2023, filming on season 5 finally got underway in January 2024, and new rumors suggest the episodes could start dropping by the end of the year. But... is that possible?

Jeff Sneider, a writer who shares insights on social media, shared a post on April 25 that teases the possibility that Stranger Things season 5 could be released in two halves over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in 2024. Naturally, fans were skeptical about this newly rumored timeframe for the release that doesn't seem like it's completley feasible.

Here what Sneider tweeted:

"As for the release date, take it with a grain of salt, but I spoke with a veteran VFX artist last night who thinks STRANGER THINGS S5 can hit a 'half at Thanksgiving, half at Christmas' timetable. VFX houses are starved for work and post-production on 501 is already happening..."

- Jeff Sneider

But didn't Millie Bobby Brown mention in March 2024, while doing press for her hit Netflix movie Damsel, that there were still nine months left of filming for season 5? And didn't Finn Wolfhard reiterate the same update while promoting Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Yes, she did, and yes, he did!

Stranger Things 5 rumor points at unlikely 2024 release

It's entirely possible that Netflix has hit the ground running on putting the finishing touches on what has been filmed already for season 5. Otherwise, waiting until everything has been filmed to start the editing and special effects process would push back the release date even further. We know that post-production can take a long time, upwards of six months or more, on shows like Stranger Things. Getting a jump start on the second-longest process makes sense.

But with Brown stating that the season still has realistically shy of year left of filming, the likelihood of Netflix rushing out the final season of its biggest show just to get it out faster doesn't seem like the smartest plan of attack. If they're attempting to release and promote a massive tentpole show while said show's cast is still filming would be counterintuitive, right?

Of course, it's worth noting the source of the rumor is a visual effects artist who believes that season 5 could be ready enough for a two part release by the end of 2024. That's not based on any actual intel from Netflix, a crew member, or a cast member. Obviously, we would all love for this rumor to actually come to fruition. Who doesn't want to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas binge-watching new episodes of Stranger Things?!

A report from The Hollywood Reporter from March 2024 said the following, "There is no chance the show will be available before sometime in 2025 — likely late in the year." Still, anything could happen, but all of the signs are pointing to the final season being released sometime in 2025.

Stay tuned for more Stranger Things news and updates from Netflix Life!