Did you know Stranger Things almost didn't come out? Once upon a time, a movie director with zero TV show experience brought up the idea to Netflix, and the rest... well, you'll have to read on to find out.
How Did Stranger Things Come to Fruition, Anyway? Shawn Levy Reveals Hurdles
Back in 2015, Levy had a successful run in family comedies such as The Night at the Museum and Cheaper By the Dozen movies. TV was not his thing (yet), but then his 21 Laps partner, Dan Cohen, walked into his office and the rest was history.
"There's not that many of us who have been here from day one to day last," Levy recently told Variety, "I feel privileged to be among them."
"'You need to stop what you're doing and read this thing,'" Levy recalls what Cohen said to him, "It's one of the best scripts I've ever read.' My memory is that I said, 'We don't do TV.' And he was like, 'Please, just trust me. Read it.'"
The Duffer Brothers initially envisioned Stranger Things as an eight-hour movie since the streaming binge model always "made the most sense" for it. In 2015, Netflix was a much smaller company, and as Levy said, "The freaking bet Netflix put on us and this show was staggering — and the kind of huge swing that we don't see that often at any network or streamer anymore."
Levy added that the original show "had kids but [was] not for kids," which also had two 30-year-old "unproven filmmakers" and a "movie director who had never done TV."
"On paper, this made not a lot of sense," Levy added, "But it was just that good. It was just that good."
At the time, the Stranger Things script was titled Montauk, when they had yet to decide what the show's title would be. Levy went on to direct two episodes in every season, including the fifth and final one, where his involvement with Stranger Things changed his career, too.
He went from family comedies to blockbusters like Free Guy and Deadpool & Wolverine.
What Questions Could Stranger Things Season 5 Finally Give Answers To?
In the same interview, Levy reassures fans that the series finale won't leave any uncertainties in the story.
"I would contend that the brothers don't want to leave any questions unanswered," Levy said, "There might be literally less than one hand's worth of things that are not clarified and resolved — because the Duffers ultimately want to satisfy the audience. They make the show for themselves, but they also make the show for our audience."
The Boogeyman helmer continued, "We're telling stories for other people, not for our own sort of narcissistic enjoyment. We're making these stories for people to connect with. So, answering those questions was really important, and I think they did an exceptional job. It's why it's a big, sweeping final season."
There are plenty of mysteries left to be uncovered in Hawkins: Why Will Byers was taken in the first place, and how he remained connected to the Upside Down despite escaping Vecna, the origins of how the Upside Down even came to their world, and whether or not Max would finally wake up from her coma.
In the meantime, fans can expect Stranger Things season 5 to release its first episodes on November 26.
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