Why David Harbour and Winona Ryder are missing from Stranger Things season 5 follow-up
David Harbour and Winona Ryder have been confirmed to be the only core members of the Stranger Things cast not returning for a follow-up special next week.
Stranger Things season five has had, arguably, one of the most bizarre endings to a TV show ever made.
After being one of the most beloved shows around for nine years straight the ending to the Netflix series was mostly met with reviews going ‘it was OK, I guess’ from fans – before out of nowhere a mass campaign started convinced many that the series wasn’t over yet.
This theory, called Conformity Gate, hinged on the idea that the series finale was fake and that a secret ninth episode was set to be released on January 7.
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As someone who for a short time drank the Kool-Aid and was convinced by Conformity Gate, the average reader will not be surprised to find out this didn’t come to pass.
Whereas a final ninth episode of Stranger Things isn’t coming out, the show will get an extra brief send-off next Monday, January 12, with the release of a documentary about the finale.
Called One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season Five, the documentary will feature the involvement of the Duffer brothers as well as much of the main cast of the series.
David Harbour and Winona Ryder will not be featuring in the documentary, however.
Martina Radwan, the director of the documentary, sat down with Variety for an interview about the doc when she revealed they didn’t take part, explaining why.
She said: “We just didn’t get the time. They were busy with other projects, and so we didn’t have the time to sit down.”
She also later added: “Unfortunately, with David and Winona, we couldn’t find the time. We tried.”
Ryder has no upcoming roles announced, however Beetlejuice 3 is reported to be in early development after Beetlejuice Beetlejuice made a whopping $450,000,000+ at the global box office.
Harbour has had a less than ideal past few months despite starring in one of the biggest TV finals ever and beginning to film for one of the biggest movies ever made Avengers: Doomsday.
The Hopper actor was also however allegedly accused of bullying and harassment by Millie Bobby Brown, with the complaint leaking online.
In addition to this his now ex-wife Lily Allen appeared to make some pretty major accusations of cheating against him in her new album West End Girl.
Harbour has since dropped out of his upcoming film Behemoth, with Variety claiming that the stress of Stranger Things releasing meant that he needed to take time away to rest.
Speaking about the documentary, Martina Radwan said that as filming began it became clear that the story to tell was how this was a coming-of-age tale not just of the young cast, but of the Duffer brothers and older cast members.
Speaking about the reception to the finale having received an intimate inside view of the show’s production, Radwan said: “I think people loved it, but I think they’re surprised. Because it’s an ambivalent ending, which I love, they don’t know what to do. I think most films nowadays tell you what to think and what to feel.
“Here, you’re a little bit on your own. And it has to settle. Because I do think it also will change over time, when you think back on it after your first impression. I think it’s the reaction that the Duffers wanted — the question mark.”
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, David Harbour, TV
Michael Slavin