Stranger Things Season 5 Brings In Prey And 10 Cloverfield Lane Director Dan Trachtenberg

It may be a little while before we actually see "Stranger Things" season 5 but when we do, it will include an episode from one heck of a talented director. Netflix has announced that Dan Trachtenberg, who most recently directed the "Predator" prequel "Prey" for Hulu, is set to helm an episode of the show's final season. The company confirmed the news in a press release, revealing that the filmmaker will help bring the beloved sci-fi series to a close when the time comes to roll camera.

Netflix didn't say which episode, specifically, that Trachtenberg will direct in the final season of "Stranger Things." Though, if it's anything like season 4 of the series, he may end up getting to direct something about as long as a movie, given that all of the episodes were well over an hour, with the finale stretching a massive two hours and 30 minutes. That just means Trachtenberg will have more to time flex his skills working with Eleven and the gang in Hawkins.

There's no word yet on precisely how long the fifth season will be, but it was previously revealed that the first episode of the season will be titled "The Crawl." Work on the show is currently at a stand-still due to the ongoing writers' strike, although we did learn recently though that "Terminator" star Linda Hamilton has joined the cast for the upcoming season. It seems Netflix is stacking the deck for the show's big goodbye.

As for Dan Trachtenberg, the filmmaker got his big break in Hollywood by directing 2016's "10 Cloverfield Lane." The surprise sequel to 2008's found-footage hit "Cloverfield" was produced mostly in secret and proved to be a big hit both critically and commercially. Despite having a big franchise film under his belt that was produced by J.J. Abrams, Trachtenberg ended up not directing another movie for several years until "Prey" came out in 2022. Again, the director found himself on the right side of a big hit, as the "Predator" prequel was widely regarded as the best in the franchise since the original.

For whatever reason, it seems like Trachtenberg has a hard time getting movie projects off the ground. In between features, however, he has found himself directing prestigious TV shows. The filmmaker previously worked on Prime Video's "The Boys," in addition to directing an episode of the acclaimed anthology series "Black Mirror." His most recent TV work was on Peacock's "The Lost Symbol." Needless to say, this is a much higher-profile gig.

With any luck, after Trachtenberg gets down with his work on one of the biggest shows on TV, he will find himself in the director's chair for another movie. It's frankly surprising he wasn't locked down almost immediately for a sequel to "Prey," but that's the way it goes sometimes. Now, "Stranger Things" fans get to benefit from his availability.

"Stranger Things" season 5 does not currently have a release date.