Filming has been underway on the final season of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things for quite some time, and plot details have remained under wraps. However, a new casting rumor may give a glimpse at what Season 5 will entail. According to Knight Edge Media, Netflix is reportedly recasting Sara — Hopper’s young deceased daughter. Sara was only seen via flashbacks in Season 1, originally portrayed by Elle Graham.
Her death caused the whirlwind of grief that Hopper had grappled with when the series began, leading to his divorce and alcoholism. However, over time he began to soften up because of the introduction of Eleven, who he views as a daughter, as well as the other Hawkins kids. He’s certainly undergone a world of change, but her death has always been something that’s haunted him.
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While it’s unclear exactly what Season 5 will entail, Jamie Campbell Bower who plays Henry Creel/Vecna in the series describes things as “out of control” and “bonkers” telling The Hollywood Reporter, “If you thought last season was nuts, this season is just out of control, wild, like it’s bonkers.”
It’s unclear what the inclusion of Sara will do for the overarching plot, but considering the gang has yet to defeat Vecna, it could definitely have something to do with his memories. In Season 4, Vecna targeted four people and their memories. Perhaps Hopper is facing the same fate that could finally break him free from his past or maybe something more sinister lies ahead. With it being the final season, could he be set up as a heroic sacrifice for the final showdown?
When viewers last saw Hopper he had just escaped a Russian prison with the help of Joyce and Murray who got his secret message. During his eight month stay he had a lot of time to reflect on his life and relationships, including his seven-year-old daughter, Sara. Upon returning to the United States he and Joyce began a romantic relationship and all seemed to be going well, until The Upside Down began bleeding into the Right Side Up which will undoubtedly cause catastrophe to strike sooner than later.
“No, the interesting thing is…there was some cameras there, but we didn’t do it for the publicists or the Instagram people,” Harbour told ComicBook in September. “There was something intimate about the way they structured it that I’m hoping that you don’t see very much of that, because there was something profound in the sense that we are a family. There is the deeper level, it is about us as individuals who’ve worked together for nine years since they were kids, and that really came through. There was a real deep kind of honesty and heartbreak and bittersweet quality to all of it.”
What’s Next for Stranger Things?
While the Duffer Brothers’ main project in the Stranger Things universe is coming to an end in 2025, the story will continue in two confirmed on-screen projects: an animated series, a live-action spin-off. Additionally, Hawkins is heading to Broadway with Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage play hitting stages in early 2025.
Currently, there is no release date for the final season of Stranger Things, but stay tuned to ComicBook for further updates.
