Shawn Levy, who serves as an executive producer on Netflix's Stranger Things, explains how his work directing Marvel Studios' Deadpool 3 will impact Season 5.
"In fact, one of the first conversations I had with Ryan Reynolds and Marvel when we started talking about Deadpool was the fact that it was inevitably going to overlap in some way and at some point with the final season of Stranger Things," Levy said in an interview with Collider. "And it is really important to me to direct at least one episode in the last season."
He continued, "Part of why I feel so close to [series creators Matt and Ross Duffer] and our cast is that I’ve been lucky to be involved directorially, which is a unique connection and creative intimacy. Anyway, it’s very much my intention to direct at least one episode of Stranger Things 5, and everyone involved is being really supportive and collaborative in figuring out the scheduling aspects of how I can do that."
Shawn Levy Balances Deadpool and Stranger Things
Marvel Studios tapped Levy as the director for Deadpool 3 in March. Levy and Reynolds have worked together on two films so far, including 2021's Free Guy and the Netflix film, The Adam Project. In a recent interview, Levy explained that a major priority for him and Reynolds is keeping Deadpool "raw, gritty [and] grounded" as he makes his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"The truth is the more digitally CG-heavy a movie is, the longer time you need in post," the director said. "But obviously it's the first Deadpool movie in the MCU. There's going to be no lack of visual effects. But it's also a North Star priority for Ryan and I to keep Deadpool raw, gritty, grounded in the ways that those movies have been and that all of us love."
As for Stranger Things, work on Season 5 officially began in August. Details surrounding the fifth and final season of the popular Netflix series are currently unknown but, by comparison, there was a significant gap between Seasons 3 and 4, with fans of Stranger Things waiting nearly three years before the fourth season's premiere. Series star David Harbour provided a possible release window for Season 5 and stated that filming would likely start sometime in 2023.
"I think we’ll [shoot] next year," he said. "They're finishing writing it this year, and they need to prep and stuff, so hopefully it’ll be this year. But I think that’s the plan. So it’d probably come out mid-2024, based on our track record." Harbour has portrayed Jim Hopper since Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016.
The first four seasons of Stranger Things are now available to stream on Netflix. Season 5 does not yet have a release date. Deadpool 3 is set to debut in theaters on Sept. 6, 2024.
Source: Collider