Millie Bobby Brown to Star in 'Just Picture It' as 'Stranger Things 5' Trailer Arrives

It would be incorrect to claim that Netflix has mismanaged Stranger Things as a franchise. However, the series, which accidentally became a viral hit in 2017 and was the first of the streaming service's flagship franchises, has not been lucky. The relatively unknown Duffer Brothers were not ready for the pressures of having a high-profile show, and wound up having to rewrite the second season halfway through filming, which caused massive delays. Season 3 was a victim of Netflix's binge policy, disappearing entirely from the entertainment conversation less than 96 hours after arriving. Then Season 4 was bulldozed by the pandemic, and Season 5 by the dual 2023 strikes.

The fifth and final Stranger Things installment is due out at the end of 2025, and it is pretty evident that all of its child stars, all of whom are now well into their twenties, are chomping at the bit to move on (as are some of the adult actors). But none more than Millie Bobby Brown, who (rather correctly) recognizes the franchise as a millstone holding back the burgeoning career she's built for herself. 

That being said, there's something a bit abrupt about the announcement that she'll next star in an adult romantic comedy film for Netflix, Just Picture It, the press release for which went out less than four hours after the Stranger Things 5 trailer was released. Someone is very clearly ready to be done wearing blindfolds and dramatically lying in water tanks.

Much like Enola Holmes and Damsel, Brown has been shepherding Just Picture It from its initial pitch to today's announcement, and is a project she believes will showcase her talents with a meaty role that's rare for young women actors to find. The film will mark her first-ever romantic comedy, and unsurprisingly, it features a fantasy/science fiction element. She's also landed Canadian actor Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans) as her co-star.

Here's the current logline:

Two college students are surprised when their phones glitch and start showing them pictures from 10 years in the future featuring them as a happily married couple with kids.

The rest of the cast is expected to be announced closer to the start of filming. Director Lee Toland Krieger (Dead Boy Detectives) will helm the feature film, penned by Jesse Lasky (Revenge). Brown executive produces via her company, PCMA Productions, along with her father, Robert Brown; her husband, Jake Bongiovi; and Isobel Roberts. Executive producers also include Alyssa Altman for RK Films and David Kern.

But as much as Brown would like to put Stranger Things behind her, the final season is still to come, and, like The Sandman, will be split into three parts, released over five weeks. It should be noted that Stranger Things was the first series that Netflix divided into two parts, released a month apart. At the time, it was a decision they were forced to make due to the ongoing delays for Season 4. However, its success in keeping the show at the top of everyone's list during that gap (in contrast to it disappearing completely less than a week after release in Season 3) is why the service now does this with its popular shows. 

(And like The Sandman, releasing eight episodes over five weeks once again drives home that this could and should be a weekly episodic rollout.)

Stranger Things final season's pending arrival, and its very tired cast, is also timely as the Harry Potter series begins filming for a 2027 release. Unlike films, which are usually shot in six to eight weeks, TV series take months — and with child star working restrictions, sometimes longer  — and once you add in post-production CGI, it can be two years between series. Stranger Things is drawing to a close after five seasons, starring actors who were once age-appropriate, some of whom are now nearly ten years older than the 16-year-olds they portray. HBO should perhaps consider how old the kids it just cast will be in 2045, if the series actually runs ten seasons.

Here's the synopsis for Stranger Things final season:

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and a single goal unites our heroes: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

The cast for the series' final run of episodes begins with Brown (Eleven), alongside fellow British actors Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), and Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler). The series also stars Irish actor Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Canadian actor Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), and Americans Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), and Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair). 

Returning supporting cast for the series' final season includes Brett Gelman (Murray), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Joe Chrest (Ted Wheeler). Guest stars for the series' final run include 1980s icon Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), star of Broadway's Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Alex Breaux, former NFL star Sherman Augustus, and newcomer Jake Connelly. 

The Duffer Brothers wrote all episodes and directed the final series with producer Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment. All three executive produce with Dan Cohen.

Stranger Things Season 5, Part 1, will debut on Wednesday, November 26. Part 2 is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, December 25, 2025 (Christmas Day), and Part 3 is set to release on Thursday, January 1, 2026 (New Year's Day).