Millie Bobby Brown Is Staying With Netflix After Stranger Things 5 — It’s Time This Franchise Hit Theaters

Millie Bobby Brown is closing one chapter and already lining up the next. While Stranger Things is rolling out its final season in chunks, Netflix quietly locked in her next headline gig: Enola Holmes 3, which has already wrapped filming and is headed for a 2026 release. There is one catch that might feel odd to fans: after seeing Brown on the big screen for the Stranger Things finale, Enola is, for now, a Netflix-only drop.

First: Stranger Things is sneaking into theaters

Part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 is streaming now. Part 2 shows up at the end of next month. And then, Netflix is doing something rare for the streamer: a limited theatrical event for the finale on December 31. It is a two-day run in more than 350 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, set up as a full-on fan celebration with the trimmings.

'Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect - dare we say bitchin - way to celebrate the end of this adventure.'

That pitch makes total sense for a show this huge. It is also exactly why people are going to look at Enola Holmes 3 and say: why not give that one a proper theatrical window too?

Then: Enola Holmes 3 is finished, dated, and headed to Netflix

Netflix has Enola Holmes 3 penciled in for 2026. Cameras are already down. The story sends Enola to the island nation of Malta on a new case, while also digging deeper into her relationship with Tewkesbury. It is the next chapter in Nancy Springer’s 'The Enola Holmes Mysteries' adaptations.

The cast, and why a big screen makes sense

Most of the key players are back, with a notable new face in the Holmes-verse mix. It is a strong lineup, which is part of the argument for giving this one more than just a streaming debut.

• Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes (Stranger Things, The Electric State)
• Louis Partridge as Tewkesbury (Disclaimer, Pan)
• Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes (Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Man of Steel)
• Himesh Patel as Dr. John Watson (Yesterday, The Assessment)
• Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes (Harry Potter, The Crown)
• Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Mira Troy / Moriarty (Ballerina, Dune)

Sharon Duncan-Brewster returns after stepping into the Moriarty role in the second film. Other supporting roles are under wraps for now.

Behind the camera: a switch-up

Harry Bradbeer, who steered the first two movies, hands the reins to director Philip Barantini (Adolescence). Jack Thorne writes the script. Brown is producing again, and her husband Jake Bongiovi is on board as an executive producer.

A darker, more grown-up Enola

The creative shuffle comes with a tonal shift. Barantini has been open about steering the series into a slightly moodier lane and letting Enola age up on screen.

'A slightly darker, slightly more grown-up direction... Enola has grown up, she is now 21, Millie is 21. She is no longer a kid. I wanted to reflect that in the style and the tone. It is a new chapter.'

Given that pivot, plus the Malta backdrop and the Holmes family all in play, you can see why fans might want a proper theatrical run. Not a two-day novelty event, but an actual stint in theaters before it hits Netflix.

So, will Netflix blink?

Right now, Enola Holmes 3 is locked to streaming in 2026. But after a one-off big-screen farewell for Stranger Things on December 31, it is going to feel a little strange to watch Brown’s next adventure skip theaters entirely. If any Netflix franchise could support a short, strategic theatrical window, it is this one.

In the meantime, Enola Holmes and Enola Holmes 2 are streaming on Netflix if you want to catch up. Would you show up for a theatrical run of Enola Holmes 3? I would.