Maia Hawke is promising a truly cinematic ending to Weird stuff.
The 25-year-old actress — who plays Scoops Ahoy employee Robin Buckley, a season three addition to the show — recently appeared on Penn Badgley‘s crushed pod podcast and talked about season 5 (also known as the final installment) from the hit Netflix drama.
“We’re basically making eight movies,” Hawke told gossip Girl It is You star. “The episodes are too long.”
Of course, the show is not strange for long episodes. The nine chapters of the fourth season — which were released in 2022 in two parts — varied in length from 64 minutes (episode 3) to 144 minutes (episode 9).
The mega-popular, 12-time Emmy Award-winning series is created and executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer (aka the Duffer Bros.), who Hawke says put their heart and soul into every segment, especially the final one. That’s part of the reason it takes so long to make a season, she explained.
“Our showrunners, Matt and Ross, take on a lot of responsibility,” Hawke shared, referring to the three-year gap between the release of season four and the expected arrival of season five. “They have an incredible team of writers, but they are very hands-on.”
She continued: “It takes a long time to write each season and it takes a long time to film them.”
Speaking of filming, the final season is currently in production in Atlanta, Georgia, after a long break due to Back-to-back WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023which significantly delayed season 5. The cast finally reported for filming in January and were still filming in early July.
In June, ET spoke with Hawke — the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman — at the premiere of her new Disney-Pixar film, Inside Out 2where she opened up about the bittersweet ending of the show that put her on the map and effectively launched her career.
“It’s starting to be heartbreaking, you know? I mean, it’s the end of a very long journey,” Hawke said about filming Weird stuff‘ final season. “Longer for some of my castmates, even, than for me. So it’s really sentimental.”
She added: “But as a late addition to the cast, I feel like it’s my job to be here to ease their feelings and just be grateful and excited to have been a part of it.”
The Duffer Bros. Netflix series premiered in July 2016 and has captivated millions of fans with each new season. After the highly anticipated fourth season hit the streaming platform in May and July 2022, it became the most streamed show of the year with 52 billion minutes watched, surpassing longtime fan favorites like Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy It is NCIS.
Weird stuff follows a group of teenage friends in the 1980s as they investigate and experience a series of supernatural events in their hometown of Hawkins, Indiana. The horror drama also stars Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery.
While Netflix has seemingly confirmed that the entire cast will return for season five, ET has independently verified this. Jamie Campbell Bower — the 35-year-old actor who plays Henry Creel/Vecna – will reprise his role as the big villain in the final chapter.
“I’ll tell you what, I came from Atlanta,” Bower told ET at the June premiere of Horizon: An American Saga.
Meanwhile, Joseph Quinn — who played fan-favorite character Eddie Munson in season four — recently shared with ET that despite his character’s untimely but extremely heroic (and rockstar) death, he would certainly make one last appearance.
According to Quinn, the “chances are high” that he would return to the set and give fans one last performance. “I love these guys! I would love to say hello,” said the actor — who is currently booked and busy with A Quiet Place: Day Onefrom Marvel Fantastic Four It is Gladiator II — shared.
Even if his character isn’t revived, Quinn, 31, shared that he has full confidence in the Duffer Bros., cast and crew.
“I’m sure they’re going to deliver on that in a pretty epic way,” Quinn added. “I have no doubt.”
Weird stuff Season 5 premieres on Netflix in 2025.
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