‘Stranger Things’ Producer Says Filming Shutting Down is ‘Intense’ and ‘Bittersweet’

‘Stranger Things’ producer weighs in on the filming of the Netflix show shutting down.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the wait for the much-anticipated 'Stranger Things' season 4 is likely to be longer than initially expected.

During a new interview, Shawn Levy, the series producer & director, revealed Netflix’s sci-fi horror drama was merely a month into filming when they received a call to postpone production on 13th March.

Watch: Stranger Things 4 | From Russia with love… | Netflix

The 51-year-old said:

I was having phone calls with Netflix while directing takes and blocking scenes. We shared the news with our cast and crew that we would be pausing production out of an abundance of caution. There were no sick crew members, no one was exhibiting symptoms, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

Levy believes the filming getting halted is a “bittersweet moment” and “intense” for the entire cast and crew. Moreover, he reckons, after working together for four years, the set “feels familial for everyone.” In addition, the director felt they were all recharged and raring to go, and it felt odd to put a stop to the production when “we felt like we were on a roll.”

Levy added,

When you’re shooting, you create this micro-society, this community. You’re aware of the world beyond, but in all of my years directing and producing, I’m hard-pressed to come up with any comparisons for this truly global situation.

One of the first questions on everybody’s mind, when the news broke of the production getting shutdown, was how they would be paid. Apparently, a veteran crew member made a crucial point that it isn’t always the norm in the industry to pay workers during shutdowns.

Check out: Stranger Things Season 4 Trailer Breakdown and Easter Eggs

Levy, meanwhile, said, “Netflix has agreed to pay the crew for two 40-hour work weeks during the hiatus. I’m just happy that Netflix wants to do right by the health and well being of the people who make this show.”

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Stranger Things season 3 released on Netflix on 4th July 2019. The show usually takes more than a year to air the new season. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however, it could be 2021 by the time Stranger Things season 4 hits the streaming platform.

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