The kids fromStranger Thingslook like full-blown adults now in new season 5 set photos. Netflix’s popular sci-fi series, which premiered in 2016, is currently heading into its fifth and final season, which started filming this past January and is expected to wrap by the end of the year. Since the beginning,Stranger Things' cast and charactershave consisted of the younger kids – Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Will (Noah Schnapp), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) – and the older teenagers Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Steve (Joe Keery).
For “Stranger Things Day” on November 6, the in-universe day when Will was abducted into the Upside Down, the officialStranger Thingsaccount on X sharednew season 5 set photos, and the kids now look like full-blown adults. The first photo shows Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Finn Wolfhard sitting around a cafeteria table looking noticeably more mature. Another photo shows Gaten Matarazzo, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery sitting in a car laughing. Check out the photos below:
What The New Stranger Things Season 5 Set Photos Mean For The Show
They Highlight One Of Its Biggest Problems
For most of the show, and especially since season 4 was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,its aging cast has been one of the biggest problems plaguing the show. Furthermore,Stranger Thingsseason 5was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which only exacerbated the issue. Now, the new season 5 set photos show the kids looking like full-blown adults because simply, they are. Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin are 20, 21, 22, and 23 years old, respectively.
The Complete Stranger Things Timeline Explained
Take a closer look at the complete Stranger Things timeline, beginning with the founding of Hawkins, Indiana, and what we know about season 5.
SinceStranger Thingsseason 4 ended, it’s been speculated that season 5 would include a time jump, which would help deal with the age discrepancy. However, a video released by Netflix on “Stranger Things Day” revealed thatseason 5 will begin in the fall of 1987, which is only 18 months after season 4 and not nearly long enough to solve the problem. The fall of 1987 is four years after the events of season 1, which debuted eight years ago in 2016, so the actors have aged significantly more than their characters should have.
Our Take On The New Stranger Things Season 5 Set Photos
Why The Age Discrepancy Might Not Be A Big Deal
While the age discrepancy between theStranger Thingsactors and their teenage characters is now more pronounced, this is hardly unprecedented in movies and TV shows. FromGrease, where a 24-year-old Olivia Newton-John played a high school senior, toBeverly Hills, 90210, in which Gabrielle Carteris was 29 playing 16,it’s long been common for older actors to play teenagersfor various reasons. Viewers are sometimes willing to overlook these age discrepancies, so it’s possible they will too inStranger Thingsseason 5.
Stranger Things
Cast
Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
