Netflix France has been banished to the Upside Down after their recent oopsie. The streaming platform wrongfully claimed that Stranger Things Season 5 was in production, despite the current Writers Guild of America strike. The misinfo was squashed by the Stranger Things Writers Twitter account, which was created by Caitlin Schneiderhan but has seen posts from the Duffer Brothers, themselves — but has the damage already been done?
In the wee hours of Wednesday (May 31), Netflix France tweeted, “la saison 5 est en production” underneath a post about Stranger Things. The message translates to “Season 5 is in production.” The tweet quickly gathered the attention of the show’s fervent fans who shared the information, eliciting criticism… And confusion from those following the news about the writers strike.
About an hour later, the Stranger Writers account responded, “No we’re not. We’re on strike. Are you okay France???” They followed up with another tweet, which reads, “Aren’t you French on strike all the time?? Of all the counties to get this wrong…”
Aren’t you French on strike all the time?? Of all the counties to get this wrong… 😂🤦♂️
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) May 31, 2023
Since then, both tweets from Netflix France have been deleted, and Decider can confirm that the Stranger Writers account is correct: Stranger Things is not currently in production.
The WGA strike began on May 2, 2023 after the Writers Guild was unable to negotiate fair pay and protections from streamers and studios amid the popularity of digital platforms. Netflix has consistently been named a key player in the strike. Outlets such as LA Times and The New York Times quickly dubbed it the “Netflix strike” and organizers have had to encourage protestors to gather at other studios.
Days after the strike commenced, Stranger Things co-showrunners Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer confirmed that production on the Netflix hit series will be paused until the ongoing strike has ended. “Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike,” wrote the Duffers on the Stranger Writers Twitter account on May 4. “We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out.” Earlier, the writers room Twitter account confirmed that writing on the fifth and final season began on August 2, 2022.
Unfortunately, Netflix France’s mistweet did major damage to the series as many fan accounts have also tweeted the false information, making it appear as though the production team is crossing the picket line. One fan noted this in the comment section, writing, “You know you deleted it too late and the screenshot is now doing the rounds?” Maybe Netflix didn’t get the memo: “Friends don’t lie.”
