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VIRAL EXCLUSIVE
Jan. 25, 2024
Stranger Things Begin Final Season Production Amidst Controversy
The original Netflix show Stranger Things has officially begun production on their fifth and final season, despite controversy surrounding Noah Schnapp – who plays Will in the series, regarding his remarks on the Israel-Hamas war. By: Dylan Low
Stranger
Things will be returning for a fifth season. Details of
the official release date have still yet to be unveiled, as the series
production was supposed to start in May 2023 before postponed due to the WGA
and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The show’s last episode released on the Netflix platform
was back in July of 2022.
With
this upcoming season being the finale, it would not be the last instalment in
the expanded “Stranger Things” universe. Additional projects are currently in
progress, consisting of the stage show Stranger Things: The First Shadow
which will be screened in London’s West End, and an untitled animated spinoff
series remains under development.
Produced
by the Duffer brothers, Stranger Things first aired in July of 2016 and
rose to prominence to become one of Netflix’s blockbuster hits. Season 4
garnered 140.7 million views globally, and its influence has spread to fans
hailing November 6th — the day that Will Byers goes missing in the series — as Stranger
Things Day. Over its runtime, the sci-fi drama has been nominated for over
230 awards and has won 70, comprising 12 Primetime Emmys and a Peabody.
However,
the news of their season 5 production has sparked much controversy, with fans
claiming to boycott the show. Noah Schnapp, who plays a recurring role as Will
Byers, has been facing criticism for his views on the Israel-Hamas war.
The
backlash first escalated when people on social media found out that he liked a
video which mocked Palestinian victims in Gaza, with a clip leaked online
showing the actor and his friends holding stickers labelled “Zionism is sexy’
and “Hamas is ISIS”. The 19-year-old star has been vocal about his support of
Israel, which he first voiced out during Hamas terror attacks on October 7th
and the continued bombings of Gaza that ensued.
On
January 16th, Schnapp posted an apology video on TikTok addressing the online
hate towards him. He stated that his “thoughts and beliefs have been so far
misconstrued” and he “just wanted to come on here super briefly to discuss
everything that’s been going on online.”
“I
feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything
even close to what I believe, and I wanted to just state from my heart how I
feel. I only want peace and safety and security for all innocent people
affected by this conflict,” Schnapp claimed, “I’ve had many open discussions
with friends from Palestinian background, and I think those are very important
conversations to have and I’ve learned a lot. One of the takeaways I’ve had is
that we all hope for the same things, that being those innocent people still
being held hostage in Gaza to be returned to their families, and equally hope
for an end to the loss of innocent life in Palestine — so many of those people
being women and children, and it’s horrible to see.”
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