Stranger Things is to have “major cinematic storytelling” in its fifth and final season, which will be released on Netflix.

Series producer Shawn Levy told Total Film this week that the hit show will have expanded “scale and depth” for its final run, although fans may have to wait as filming is on hold because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Series four was released last year in two parts, climaxing in July.

Levy said: “There’s no way to be contiguous with season four and not, frankly, expand scale and depth. It’s major, major cinematic storytelling that happens to be called a TV series. Stranger Things 5 is as big as any of the biggest movies that we see.”

What will the plot be for Stranger Things series five?

Jamie Campbell Bower has confirmed a return as Vecna but the crux of series five is likely to be the character arc of Will Byers.

Ross Duffer, who co-directed series four, has said: "Will really takes centre stage again in [season] five.

“This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality – it’s Will coming into his own as a young man."

Series five will also mainly focus on the original cast, with Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard likely to return to screens in the series that made them stars.

Speaking to TVLine, Duffer said: “I’m sure we will do a time jump.”

“It’s going to feel a lot larger in scale than season one, but we wanna go back to a lot of things we did in season one, a lot of original groupings and pairings – there’s something nice about coming full scale.

“It’s gonna feel bigger than season one, much more massive in terms of the stakes and the scale, but we wanna revisit a lot of things we did in season one.”

He continued: “I think that what we’re trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit in the tone of [season] one, but scale-wise it’s more in line with what [season] four is.”

“Hopefully it’s got a little bit of everything.”

Will season five be the last?

It has been confirmed that season five will be the last season of the show but the show’s creators have already announced a spin-off series: “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but – as you’ll soon see for yourselves – we are now hurtling towards our finale.

“Season four will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.”

When did season five start filming?

Filming for season five was meant to start in May or June, according to cast members, but the Duffer brothers – the show’s directors – said everything was put on hold until the Writers’ Guild of America strike was over.

On June 4, the Directors Guild of America (DGA), which represents film and television directors, said that it had reached a provisional agreement with Hollywood’s main studios to stop a possible work shortage.

When is it due to be released?

There is no official release date yet. However, speaking to JoBlo Celebrity Interviews, actor David Harbour suggested that it could take around eight to nine months to film the final season of the show. This means it’s probably not likely to be released until next year.

Additionally, Finn Wolfhard recently sparked speculation that fans might have to wait until 2025 for the fifth season, having said he will be 22 by the time it’s released. His 22nd birthday will fall on December 23, 2024.

In a GQ interview, Wolfhard said: “By the time it comes out, I will be 22, I think. I will be able to drink with Gaten and Caleb and Noah at the premiere of Stranger Things 5.”