Stranger Things 5’s production gets a major update three months before the final installment’s premiere

Three months before its highly anticipated release, Stranger Things 5 has reached a significant milestone. Ross Duffer, one of the show's creators, gave a first-hand update on Instagram, revealing that post-production of the first two episodes is complete. His message was simple:

"Chapters One and Two: locked, mixed, scored, colored, DONE."

For fans, that means the initial portion of the concluding season is complete, and production is on track towards its November 2025 launch.

This news offers the strongest indication yet that Stranger Things 5 is on schedule. Following years of postponements due to industry strikes, filming formally commenced in January 2024, concluded in October, and went into post-production.

Finishing the first two episodes is the first fully completed material for the season, indicating that the team is deep into finalizing its work. In addition to reaffirming this development, Duffer provided a brief taste of what fans can anticipate without giving away spoilers, which adds to the building hype for the final episode of the series.

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What the first two episodes will bring

Ross Duffer’s Instagram post didn’t just confirm the technical completion of the episodes; it gave fans a peek at how the season begins. The opening episode, titled The Crawl, is described by Duffer as

“our favorite, most eventful first episode since Season 1.”

He also teased the second episode, The Vanishing of…, saying it features

“by far the craziest cold open we’ve ever done. One of the sequences we’re most proud of this season.”

Although no plot points were shared, these statements indicate that Stranger Things 5 will begin with a robust narrative push. Duffer also spoke to runtime matters, stating,

"I would tell you runtimes, but I was told not to. At a later date, I guess ???"

These comments maintain the spotlight on the hype for the episodes while omitting major details, in line with the show's tradition of sidestepping early spoilers.

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How does this fit into Stranger Things 5's production schedule?

The finishing of these episodes follows a long production process. Stranger Things 5 started filming in early 2024 following disruptions caused by the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes. In July 2024, filming had hit halftime, and in October, production had wrapped fully. After filming was complete, work shifted to post-production, which includes editing, sound mixing, scoring, and color correction.

For a big-series show like Stranger Things 5, post-production is staggered, meaning each episode is completed one at a time. Having the first two episodes complete means the remainder of the season is also going through the same phases, putting the series on target for its planned release without a hitch.

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What to expect from the release schedule

Netflix will release Stranger Things 5 in three installments. Four will debut on November 26, 2025. Three will follow on December 25, and the finale will round out the season on December 31. This would mean that the first two finished episodes will be part of the initial batch to set up the beginning of the season.

While Ross Duffer's Twitter post didn't reveal more information, the titles of the episodes, "The Crawl" and "The Vanishing of…," suggest plots that will propel the season's story forward. Supporters now have a better idea of how the last chapter is coming along, even though details are still under wraps.

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With its first two episodes all completed, Stranger Things 5 is on track for its late 2025 launch. While post-production continues for the rest of the episodes, the series is set to debut with what Duffer describes as its "most eventful" opening yet, marking a significant start to the show's conclusion.