CNN
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been over eight years since viewers were first introduced to the mysterious and intriguing retro show Stranger Things, and even harder to believe that it’s all about to end.

Some members of the cast and crew of the mega-hit Netflix series announced Friday that production wrapped this week on the show’s fifth season, which is set to premiere sometime next year.

Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on Stranger Things and was the first to experience the ignominious Upside Down in Hawkins, Indiana in Season 1, wrote a tribute on Instagram.

“As I close this chapter of my life, I cannot help but be forever grateful for the incredible people I have met and the valuable life and career lessons I have learned throughout this ten-year journey,” wrote Schnapp, listing his own “Top 10” alongside a carousel of nostalgic photos from the series’ early days.

Schnapp’s list included references to “Stranger Things” creators the Duffer Brothers, who he said taught him “the creative process takes time and it’s OK to be meticulous in creating perfect moments.”

On his own Instagram, co-creator Ross Duffer wrote about how they’ve been “telling this story for almost a decade now.” Many of our actors came to us as children, just ten or eleven years old. For her, it wasn’t just a show – it was a formative part of her childhood. They grew up before our eyes and became more than just actors – they became family.”

Another cast member who celebrated the moment on social media was Finn Wolfhard, who plays Will’s best friend Mike Wheeler in the series. Wolfhard shared a photo of himself with his castmates as a teenager from the first season and wrote that he was “still in shock” about the end of his work on the final season.

“We’ve been filming for a year and I’m going to miss all my friends and our characters terribly. When I think of the show, I imagine that first photo. “A bunch of goofy young people doing something they think is cool but really have no idea what’s to come,” Wolfhard wrote. “I feel like we’re still those people and I’m lucky to still be by their side today. I hope you love this season as much as I do. See you all next year.”

Schnapp ended his tribute with a heartfelt note of thanks, writing, “’Stranger Things’ was more than a job; it was a lifelong dream. Thanks to the Duffers, a dream came true. Thank you for taking the risk when I was just 10 years old and trusting me with something that is so important to both of you. Together, this cast and crew have created something very special, and I couldn’t be more excited for the world to see the final chapter. “For me, Stranger Things is a never-ending story – it stays in my heart forever.”

Stranger Things is a dark sci-fi/horror series that follows a group of teenagers and their families as they confront an unnamed evil lurking beneath their small town in a mirror dimension known as the Upside Down. As of 2016, the series ran for four seasons and starred Winona Ryder, David Harbor and Millie Bobby Brown. Along the way, the series welcomed some brilliant additional cast members, all of whom became breakout stars, including Sadie Sink, Priah Ferguson, Joseph Quinn and Maya Hawke.

The series has won 12 Primetime Emmys so far and introduced us to the fearsome Vecna ​​(Jamie Campbell Bower) in Season 4 in 2022. Netflix has not yet announced a specific date for the premiere of Season 5, other than that it will be sometime next year.