Why the Escapees director came out of retirement for Stranger Things 5
Frank Darabont hadn’t filmed anything for over 10 years. But for Eleven, he made an exception.
He has created some cult films and a huge 21st century pop culture hit. And yet, Frank Darabont has completely disappeared from circulation for more than 10 years! The director of Escapees (1994), from The Green Line (1999) and the first season of Walking Dead is in a sort of unofficial retirement, since the flop of Mob Cityhis latest series (with Jon Bernthal), also undermined by an interminable lawsuit with the producers of Walking Dead.
But when he was offered to direct two episodes of Stranger Things 5, Frank Darabont agreed to return to service. For what ?
“What really brought me out of retirement was that my wife and I really love this show,” confides the 65-year-old filmmaker born in Doubs in France (in the Hungarian refugee camp of Montbéliard). He tells Daily Beast:
“The content we’re being offered is now full of horrible people doing horrible things for greedy reasons. But Stranger Things has heart, a lot of heart. That positivity is something that speaks to me and that I wanted to share. ‘explore.”
As to whether Stranger Things 5 will bring Darabont back on Hollywood’s radar, for future projects, the director opens the door: “Who knows? I don’t miss the job, but I missed being on set with creative people… This may be my return and my last time, but I still have to time ahead of me…”
The filming of Stranger Things 5 began this year in Atlanta and will end at the end of 2024. We know that the episodes will be very long (two will be more than 90 minutes). Expected release on Netflix in 2025.
