TV Stranger Things 5 drops first set footage: 'The season fans have been waiting for' Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna returns and "Terminator" icon Linda Hamilton arrives. By Nick Romano Nick Romano Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano. EW's editorial guidelines Published on July 15, 2024 10:36AM EDT Now that the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is halfway through filming, Netflix and the Duffer Brothers grace us with the first behind-the-scenes footage from the set, showing the return of Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna and the arrival of Terminator legend Linda Hamilton. "This is the season the fans have been waiting for, and we hope you're as excited as we are to get to tell the final chapter in this story," series co-creator Ross Duffer says alongside his brother, Matt, in the teaser video that dropped on Monday. The footage catches glimpses of all the principal cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Winona Ryder, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Brett Gilman, and Priah Ferguson. They reflect on their Stranger Things journeys, while also providing fans with snapshots of the various sets and events to come. Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn teases potential return as Eddie Munson in season 5: 'I might have that feeling' "I started when I was 10. I'm now turning 20 years old. It feels very weird," Brown, the actress behind Eleven, says. "It's just so exciting. I think this is gonna be the best season yet," Schnapp, playing Will Byers, adds. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. In addition, Netflix confirms Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux are the latest actors to join the cast. But the big reveals of the footage come when Bower returns to his full Vecna look for a final showdown with Eleven. "If season 4 was big, season 5 definitely feels bigger," Bower says before getting into his full prosthetics-enhanced costume. Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven in 'Stranger Things' season 5. Netflix Linda Hamilton considered retirement before landing Stranger Things role: 'I’m tired of being tough' We don't get a look at Hamilton's mystery role, but the teaser sees her arrival on set, saying, "I love this show so much. I really am a fan." Plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, but McLaughlin teases, "We're about halfway through filming now and it's exciting, so much going on." Watch the teaser above.