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Eduardo Franco won’t be returning for the final season of Stranger Things
Published 08:04 12 Jan 2024 GMT
Updated 08:06 12 Jan 2024 GMT
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Fans noticed he wasn't in the picture
On Monday afternoon, Netflix confirmed that production had started on the fifth season of the hit sci-fi show.
In a post announcing the news on social media, Netflix shared a picture of the cast and show runners, the Duffer Brothers, with the caption: “THIS IS A CODE RED.
“Stranger Things 5 production has officially begun.”
However fans were quick to notice that Eduardo Franco wasn't in the picture.
Franco joined the cast in season four as Jonathan Byer's best friend, Argyle.
He quickly became a fan favourite on the show as the pizza delivery guy.
However unfortunately, Franco has just confirmed that he won't be returning for the final season.
Speaking on the Steve Varley Show, Varley asked him: "Before I let you go, I just want to ask real quick, because it’s on everyone’s mind. You don’t have to answer this, but fans kind of went to a panic with the cast photo of day one of Stranger Things season five...
"Now they’re thinking you’re not in the season. Can you give us hopes that you are? And can you say anything if not?"
Franco then replied: "It’s nice to hear that there’s, there’s some sort of, you know, concern or something, you know what I mean?
"But I never a got a phone call, so I think that's it."
Naturally a lot of Stranger Things fans are disappointed by the news.
Some fans also think that a big spoiler has been revealed with the announcement.
If you haven't seen season four of Stranger Things then stop reading now.
Those of you who have will no doubt remember that one of the major moments of the finale was Max's showdown with Vecna.
Sadie Sink's character was possessed by the villain and despite the best efforts of Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), she eventually succumbed to Henry Creel and was killed.
Although Eleven was able to restart her heart using her telekinetic abilities, Max was left in a coma following the harrowing ordeal.
Season four finished with Max's fate in the balance and her friends unsure if she would ever wake up.
But, in the picture announcing the beginning of season five's production Sadie Sink is present with the rest of the cast, suggesting she does have a role to play in the final series.
Reacting to Sink being in the picture, one fan wrote: "SADIE SINK PRESENT"
Another said: "Max is alive!"
Someone else commented: "Max is alive thank GOD."
A fourth ecstatic fan said: "SADIE SINK SPOTTED MAX MAYFIELD ALIVE."
"Oh my f**king god Sadie is there, Max is alive," another person commented.
The fourth series of the show was released in two parts in summer 2022. Later that year, Netflix revealed that the script had been written for the final season.
However, progress on filming was severely delayed by the Hollywood strikes last year, having been due to start in June 2023, according to lead actor David Harbour.
The more than six month delay on production will have pushed back whatever release date the show runners and Netflix had in mind.
In November, the first lines of the first episode were released to mark Stranger Things Day.
The explosive fourth season introduced fans to the show’s main villain, Vecna, and was by far the biggest and boldest that the Duffer brothers had put together.
There is no confirmation about when fans can expect Stranger Things 5 to be released, but it seems likely that it may not be until 2025 if production has only just started on the show.
In September last year, producer Shawn Levy promised fans that the season five will feature “major, major cinematic storytelling” and will be “as big as any of the biggest movies that we see.”
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