The recently released documentary One Last Adventure revealed that the final episode of Stranger Things started filming without a finished script.
The hit Netflix show concluded its run last December 31 with a feature-length final episode. The majority of the responses to the conclusion have been positive, as fans believe that it was a satisfying closure for our favorite characters. However, there was also a prevailing theory that an actual secret final episode was being planned for release later on, but it was eventually debunked.
Why Stranger Things Started Filming the Finale Without a Finished Script
In the documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, which was released on Netflix earlier this week, The Duffer Brothers admitted that they started filming the final episode without a completed script.
Although they knew how the story would end, they were unable to finish writing it due to production-related challenges and pressure at the time.
"It’s not like we don’t know what the ending is. It’s all plotted out. I have to write it, and we’re just low on time," Matt Duffer explained.
It was acknowledged by the crew when the cameras started rolling for the finale. "We are shooting episode 8, which isn’t completely written yet. Spoiler alert! So we don’t even fully know what’s going on," production assistant Montana Maniscalco said.
Matt Duffer added, "I’ve never read 8 through, and we’re just shooting it. I’ve never done anything like this before. This is so weird jumping to eight… Don’t love it. Don’t love it."
The crew "were getting hammered by production and by Netflix for episode 8," which led to their unusual process of starting to film the last episode itself without a completed script ready.
"It was the most difficult writing circumstances we’ve ever found ourselves in, not just because there was the pressure of we had to make sure the script was good, but there’s never been so much noise at the same time," Matt Duffer said as he reflected on the decision.
As a result, the finale "was the longest time we’ve ever spent with the writers on a single episode."
While it might have been an excruciating process for the people involved, they were able to film the entire final episode accordingly. Now, we've seen in its reception that most fans embraced the conclusion.
After all, it's not unusual for a TV series production to begin filming without a finished script, as it is still being shaped and refined by the writers throughout the course of production.
Is There a Stranger Things Spinoff Series in the Works?
The animated prequel series, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, is set to premiere on Netflix later this year.
The story takes place between the events of the second and third seasons. Set in 1985, it’s a freezing winter in Hawkins, and our heroes are about to embark on an epic journey where "the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town," the logline reads.
The Duffer Brothers are involved as executive producers of the series, while Flying Bark worked on the animation. However, the main cast from the series won't be reprising their roles.
A live-action spinoff series is also currently in development, but the details are still under wraps as the team is working on finalizing the main idea of the project.
"And the spinoff, it relates in some ways, but it really is a completely different story and a completely different location with completely different actors and characters. So it's its own. It's really its own entity," Matt Duffer teased.
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