Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer is debunking some serious rumors about the state of Season 5. After the release of the final season’s first full trailer, the creator has taken to social media to take down rumors about its supposed runtime, revealing that it won’t, in fact, feel like watching eight whole movies.
A social media graphic that went viral suggested that each episode of Season 5 would be at least two hours long, with the finale topping out at three hours. This wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise, given that episodes of Season 4 stretched far past the traditional hour-long mark, with episode nine reaching a whopping two hours and twenty-two minutes. (Does that even count as a TV episode at that point? I don’t think so.)
But it seems we don’t have to worry about spending an entire twenty-four hours watching the new season. In a now expired Instagram story, the co-creator revealed that those estimates are “not even close to accurate,” though he didn’t reveal any information as to how long the episodes actually are.
Season 5 sees the return of series staples Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Crown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, and more, as well as a new cameo appearance from ‘80s icon Linda Hamilton. The season synopsis is as follows:
The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
The first half of Stranger Things Season 5 premieres on November 26, with the next three episodes releasing on Christmas Day, and the series finale premiering on December 31.
