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Frank Darabont Says Stranger Things Is the Most Fun He’s Ever Had as a Director
Netflix and The Duffer Brothers seem to be pulling out all the stops for Stranger Things season 5, including enlisting some big-time star power for the director’s chair. That star power is in the form of The Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont, who is directing two episodes during the final season of Netflix’s most beloved series. ComicBook had the chance to catch up with Darabont during the Stranger Things season 5 premiere, and Darabont described the experience as the most fun he’s ever had as a director.
“It was such a pleasure to do this. I think I had more fun directing these two episodes than I’ve ever had fun directing before, I mean just actual fun,” Darabont said. “As much as it was a huge challenge, there was so much to keep in mind, and you know cold nights and all that stuff. It was such a pleasure working for the Duffers. I think they’re brilliant, and you can see it in their storytelling and the heart of the show.”
Darabont praised the cast as well, and despite not putting together the crew like in other projects, he had nothing but positive things to say about everyone involved. “And I love this cast man, I loved working with every one of these actors. I love them so much, and the crew, triple A crew. My DP, my AD, the grips, the gaffers. I mean all of them, it was such a beautiful machine. A well-oiled machine,” Darabont said.
“When you step into a situation like that, I didn’t get to cast it. I didn’t get to pick my DP. Usually, as a director, you’re choosing your team. Here, I just showed up kind of on faith, like with my fingers crossed, going ‘oh I hope they’re not a* and I hope they’re good’, and they were superb, superb beyond my hopes,” Darabont said.
Darabont has some truly impressive credits on his resume, including the aforementioned Shawshank Redemption as well as The Green Mile, The Majestic, and The Mist, as well as Television credits that include The Shield and The Walking Dead. For Stranger Things season 5, Darabont directed episodes 3 (titled Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap) and episode 5 (titled Chapter Five: Shock Jock).
Darabont hadn’t directed a project since 2013’s Mob City, where he directed four episodes throughout season 1, so the fact that the Duffer Brothers and Netflix not only got him to jump on for multiple episodes but also created a truly delightful experience for him once he signed up is huge, and that is likely to translate onscreen as well.
Stranger Things season 5 releases Volume 1’s four episodes on November 26th, with Volume 2’s three episodes releasing on Christmas, and The Finale releasing on New Year’s Eve. Each volume releases at 5 PM PT.
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