During a recent interview promoting his upcoming holiday action film, Violent Night, David Harbour spoke about Stranger Things season 5. The actor, who plays Jim Hopper, seemed confident that season 5 would be a "home run."
Stranger Things is set to end in its fifth season. Throughout the past four seasons, the Upside Down has been growing in influence and power. Last season, things came to a head as the mastermind behind the Upside Down, Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower), made himself known and finally spread the corruption of the Upside Down into Hawkins, Indiana. Some characters ended up receiving some very cruel endings in the ensuing chaos, and it looked like the party had a long and difficult journey ahead.
In an interview with Collider, Harbour stated, "It will be my goodbye to Jim Hopper, which is a big deal. Fortunately, I feel like I have a long time to say goodbye because I think we're going to take a long time shooting these episodes." He further went on to say that Stranger Things season 5 may not be as long as the titanic-sized episodes of season 4. "I know those Duffer brothers are very specific, and I know they want to get that last season. I mean if you look at Season 4, I have a feeling that Season 5 may not be as long, but it certainly will be packed to the brim with good stuff that you love," he said. "I mean, they really are getting better at giving you that home run that the audiences love. And I think that Season 5 will do that so much."
Harbour stated he was committed to playing the role, saying, "I'm going to pour my soul into it as hard as I can." He further called it "the role of a lifetime in many ways." Given that one Stranger Things season 4 sequence took over two years to create, Harbour's assessment that filming could take quite a while probably isn't far off the mark.
The final season of Stranger Things is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps Hopper will die a hero's death. Always putting himself in harm's way, he's definitely the father figure for many of the characters. On the other hand, Hopper did already have one death scene in season 3 and spent most of his season 4 storyline being rescued, so it might not hit as hard if the writers choose to go with that angle again. Harbour's comments about "pouring [his] soul" into the show seem to indicate that his story will be very emotional and it'll probably be a very meaty part of the season.
This season may also be the first time Hopper interacts with Vecna, a character with a particular interest in Hopper's daughter, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Hopper will certainly take issue with the abuse that Vecna has put Eleven and her friends through, and it will be interesting to see how the two interact. Perhaps Vecna will even have some new minions in Stranger Things season 5, like a presumed-dead Eddie Munson.
Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are now available on Netflix.
Source: Collider