Stranger Things Seasons Almost Shot Together

Netflix wanted to film The Walking Dead.

For the time being, only Stranger Things season 3 has been how many of the characters will even survive to see season 3, much less season 4. After all, Demogorgons aren't exactly a merciful bunch.

Related: Stranger Things Season 2 Script Pages Introduce New Characters

According to a new report from THR, one of the primary reasons Netflix wanted to shoot seasons 3 and 4 back-to-back is that the service hoped to avoid any awkward transitions into adolescence that the young cast might experience. While that may seem like a valid concern, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers and producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen all reportedly banded together to veto the idea, arguing that it wouldn't be possible to turn out episodes that quickly.

In lieu of shooting fast in order to avoid the aging of the cast, the team behind Stranger Things instead made the decision to craft stories appropriate for where the actors are in of age, suggesting that each season will likely have a realistic gap in time from where the last season ended.

Interestingly enough, the same THR reports says that based on what a smash Stranger Things has been, most if not all of the child cast will look to renegotiate their deals early next year. Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin all reportedly earned $30,000 per episode for seasons 1 and 2, with a less than six-figure bonus tied to the success of the show. At this time, it's unclear whether Brown will negotiate her deal separately, due to the overwhelming popularity of Eleven. With Stranger Things having launched a merchandising cash cow for Netflix, it's not hard to see why its stars want more of those sweet, sweet dollars.