The increased salaries of Stranger Things 5 cast revealed

Despite the arrival of Wednesday, many would agree that Stranger Things is still the most popular Netflix series. After three solid seasons, the team went all in while developing Stranger Things season 4.

The Duffer Brothers took a long time to deliver its fourth installment, but when the show returned, it came back with a bang. Now, something similar is expected from season 5 of the hit series as well. With the increase in stature and viewership, the salaries of all Stranger Things 5 cast members have also increased.

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Winona Ryder and David Harbour to earn approximately $1.19 million for each episode of Stranger Things 5

David Harbour and Winona Ryder in ST 4 (Image via Netflix)

The series includes a massive cast of actors, with every season adding in a new fan-favorite star. This is a series that has allowed all of its lead actors to grow massively. The likes of Winona Ryder and David Harbour were among the only familiar names when the series began. However, thanks to Stranger Things, even youngsters have found major contracts outside the show.

Speaking of Stranger Things 5, almost every actor involved has received a major pay raise. Puck news revealed that season 5 will last for eight episodes, and the two leading adults (Harbour and Ryder) will draw $9.5 million each (approx. $1.19 million per episode). It is interesting to note that they made just $350,000 per episode in season 3.

Tier 2 and 3 actors of Stranger Things (Image via Netflix)

Harbour and Ryder will be paid so much because they belong to the Tier 1 category of actors in the series. Tier 2 includes the likes of Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin, who play the four friends Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas respectively. Sadie Sink, who plays Max in the show, is also a part of Tier 2.

It is reported that all Tier 2 actors will make $7 million in total for Stranger Things 5’s eight episodes ($875,000 per episode). That’s a huge raise, as back in season 1, all Tier 2 actors made just $25,000 per episode.

As for Tier 3, which includes Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, and Charlie Heaton, they will all make a little over $6 million for season 5. Tier 4 is reported to make “much less!”

Those wondering about Millie Bobby Brown’s salary would be disappointed with the lack of information about it. She is considered the main lead of the series, so reportedly gets an exclusive contract with Netflix, which doesn’t fall under any of the tiers.

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Stranger Things 5 release date

As per a tweet from The Duffer Brothers, the writing for the final season began back on August 2, 2022. Then, on November 7, 2022, (Stranger Things Day 2022), the title of the first chapter from season 5 was revealed to be The Crawl.

Hence, it is believed that two months later, in January 2023, the series is still in its writing phase. The upcoming season won’t begin production until mid to late 2023. Another piece of evidence for the show's production dates comes from David Harbour, who stated that he will go back and forth while filming Marvel’s Thunderbolts and Stranger Things 5.

David Harbour reveals his filming schedule (Image via Marvel and Netflix)

Since Thunderbolts is set to release on July 28, 2024, fans reckon that it will begin filming in the first half of 2023. Hence, that’s when season 5 of Netflix’s biggest series may also start production. However, it is possible that the filming could get pushed back a bit as director Shawn Levy is said to be busy with Wolverine & Deadpool.

Hence, Stranger Things 5 could arrive in late 2024 if things go smoothly. However, its ideal release date would probably be in 2025. Fans await an official announcement on the same from the team behind the show.