Stranger Things, Bigger Paychecks: Jaw-Dropping Salaries of Season 5 Revealed

Summary

• Principal photography for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things has yet to begin, despite the end of the writers' and actors' strike.
• However, more information about the upcoming season is leaking out, including increased salaries for the cast.
• For the final season, which is set to begin filming in early January, the sums have increased dramatically.

It's been a mere (just kidding, it's awfully long) 18 months since the second part of Stranger Things Season 4 dropped on Netflix, reuniting our favorite characters in one place. This time, an even greater threat looms over the seemingly quiet and peaceful town of Hawkins, Indiana. Though victory was almost in the hands of Eleven and friends, Vecna could not be stopped, and now his Upside Down army is ready to burst into our reality with a vengeance, following the corrupt ambitions of their deranged leader, once known as Henry Creel.

The stakes are higher than ever, and with each passing month, fans are getting more and more excited. After all, even before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it was announced in January 2023 that the final season of Stranger Things would receive a much larger budget and a staggering pay raise for the cast. While we're anticipating Season 5, let's take a look at what the cast will be paid.

All Known Cast Salaries for the Upcoming Season 5

3. Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley) — $6 million

2. Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp ( Will Byers), Sadie Sink ( Max Mayfield) — $7 million

1. David Harbour ( Jim Hopper), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) — $9 million

A Little About These Numbers

As we can see, the main gang, led by Finn Wolfhard's Mike Wheeler, got the most stunning promotion, as each of the guys received only $160,000 for the first season. Not surprising, considering all the creepy supernatural events that have been going on around these D&D fans. It's nice to see Sadie Sink on this list as well, as she has become an indispensable member of the group since season two, bringing no small amount of drama, tragedy, and inspiring willpower to the story under Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill.

Notably, her older friends in the form of Nancy, Jonathan, Steve and Robin will receive $1 million less. While they started out in supporting roles, they became full-fledged protagonists as the story progressed. However, while we should expect the story of each of them to be completed, their screen time may be slightly less.

The main adult stars, David Harbour and Winona Ryder, on the other hand, will receive an incredible $9 million, which is well deserved considering that these two have become some of the main magnets of the series. I just wish that Hopper was okay in the end!

Hold On, Where Is Eleven?

Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that we didn't mention the main star, Millie Bobby Brown. That's because her salary is part of a deal with Netflix that includes the Enola Holmes franchise and the upcoming The Electric State, and so the specific salary for Stranger Things Season 5 has remained undisclosed. It's likely to be either $7 million or $9 million, given the importance of the character.

When Should We Expect the Release of Season 5?

The end of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes was a joy not only for industry workers, who received new, satisfactory contracts, but also for regular viewers, as production resumed on many popular scripted shows!

Though Stranger Things has returned to active production after the strikes, principal photography has yet to begin. According to Variety, filming will start as early as January, but Netflix hasn't announced an official start date for production, so there could be additional delays. That means the fifth and final season of Stranger Things won't be available on the streaming service until early 2025.

Source: Variety.