Stranger Things casts Terminator’s Linda Hamilton for final season

With Hawkins, Indiana descending into a dystopian, Upside Down hellscape, which ’80s movie icon would you most want on your side? Sarah freakin’ Connor, of course. Terminator star Linda Hamilton has officially been cast in the final season of Stranger Things, Netflix announced on Thursday during its Tudum global fan event.

Five seasons in, Stranger Things’ ’80s nostalgia schtick is no secret to anyone. The show is set in, inspired by, and drawing heavily from 1980s pop culture celebrates the decade in just about every facet of the production, from the costuming to the music choices to the casting. Hamilton joins a long list of ’80s icons to appear on the juggernaut series, including star Winona Ryder (Heathers), Sean Astin (The Goonies), Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Paul Reiser (Aliens), Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket), and Robert Englund (Nightmare On Elm Street).

Netflix had to tease something to keep people excited about Stranger Things, because the finale isn’t coming any time soon. Already notorious for long gaps of time between seasons (for which the global pandemic is only partially to blame), the fan-favorite series faces another major delay due to the ongoing writers strike. The fifth season scripts are reportedly finished, but series co-creators and co-showrunners Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer released a statement saying they wouldn’t be moving forward until a deal is reached.

“Writing does not stop when filming begins,” they wrote on Twitter in May. “While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then—over and out. #wgastrong.”

Stranger Things is one of many shows put on indefinite pause until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers comes back to the table to negotiate. Netflix is a key part of that coalition, particularly because the streaming business model that has completely reshaped writers’ jobs was pioneered by that company. And if the Screen Actors Guild also ends up on strike, well, that’ll throw another wrench into the proceedings.

So until the issues are resolved, there’ll be no Stranger Things spin-offs and no Linda Hamilton, so fans will just have to content themselves to imagine what her involvement will be like. Of course, Sarah Connor didn’t level up until the ’90s, but wouldn’t it be great to see Hamilton in badass mode fighting demogorgons? Let’s get the writers their fair deal ASAP!