Linda Hamilton and Jodie Foster join Stranger Things 5

Netflix brings in more star power for the final season of Stranger Things by casting Linda Hamilton and Jodie Foster.
Stranger Things has a history of incorporating renowned actors from 1980s movies into its storyline, and Linda Hamilton's addition follows this tradition.
The news of Hamilton's casting was unveiled during a Tudum event in Brazil, where her Terminator co-star and Netflix's chief action officer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, appeared alongside her.
Although details surrounding Hamilton's role are shrouded in mystery, fans have started speculating on how she will fit into the Stranger Things universe.
One theory suggests that Hamilton may portray Eleven in a time jump or flash-forward scenario.
While Millie Bobby Brown has masterfully portrayed Eleven thus far, the show has proven its willingness to explore a floating timeline, as evidenced in the fourth season.
The concept of time travel would add a fresh and exciting element to Stranger Things, and Hamilton's experience with time-travel implications in her previous roles makes her casting all the more intriguing.
Jodie Foster is an interesting choice for Stranger Things, considering most of the well-known stars recruited for the series — like the aforementioned Hamilton, Winona Ryder, Cary Elwes, Sean Astin, Robert Englund, and Paul Riser — are most strongly associated with the 1980s.
Certainly, some of Foster’s most landmark and controversial movies came out in the 1980s, including her Oscar-winning performance in 1988’s The Accused.
But it was in the 1990s that Foster became a bonafide superstar, with iconic roles in The Silence of the Lambs, Nell, and Contact.
As to who either Jodie Foster or Linda Hamilton will play in the final season of Stranger Things remains to be seen, but Netflix’s Twitter announcement hinted that Hamilton’s role would be connected to the past of the villain Vecna.
The only bad news is that regardless of who is playing what role, we’re not likely to be able to stream the fifth season of Stranger Things until the summer of 2025, with the filming expected to last most of 2024, as production has halted due to the current writers strike.