Star Wars Director Debunks Wildly Inaccurate Stranger Things Casting Rumors
At the Stranger Things 5 world premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre, executive producer Shawn Levy torched a viral report that Millie Bobby Brown accused co-star David Harbour of on-set bullying, putting the internet rumor mill on ice.
Big night for Stranger Things. The season 5 world premiere brought the hype, the first five minutes of the new season, and a very loud rumor that the team shut down in real time. Here is what actually happened.
Shawn Levy swats down the bullying rumor
On Thursday, November 6, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, executive producer Shawn Levy was asked on the red carpet about a viral report claiming Millie Bobby Brown accused co-star David Harbour of on-set bullying. He told The Hollywood Reporter the chatter is not accurate and stressed the environment on set.
"I have read a bunch of stories and they range from wildly inaccurate... The truth is that we view this crew and this cast as family, and so we treat each other with respect."
For context: The Daily Mail ran a piece saying Brown allegedly filed a harassment complaint ahead of filming that included 'pages and pages' of grievances, which Netflix allegedly investigated for months, and that she had a representative with her throughout production. Levy pushed back hard on all of that, saying the show prioritized a safe, respectful workplace from the start.
Brown and Harbour show up together
Any lingering speculation took a hit when Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour did the easiest possible rebuttal: they stood next to each other, laughed, and posed for photos. Brown also addressed their dynamic directly, saying, 'We are lucky to have each other.'
Millie on Eleven, the ending, and season 1 vibes
The premiere doubled as Stranger Things Day, and Brown talked with host Josh Horowitz about closing out her decade as Eleven. Speaking via Netflix Tudum, she said meeting young fans who connected with Eleven has been surreal and meaningful, and that the character helped her grow up too. She also promised season 5 will be 'really satisfying to everyone' and specifically called it a love letter to season 1, with storylines looping back to where this all began. Netflix underscored that point with a clip the next day highlighting her 'for everyone who loved season 1' tease.
Netflix dropped the first 5 minutes of season 5
Right after the premiere, Netflix released the opening five minutes of episode 1, The Crawl (via Variety). It throws us straight back to 1983, the night Will Byers disappeared. Will is hiding in Castle Byers, quietly singing The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go to steady himself, when the Demogorgon attacks and chases him through the woods. He falls, blacks out, and gets dragged into Vecna's lair. Vines wrap around him as Vecna whispers: 'At long last, we can begin. You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together.' That same line turns up in the new trailer. The whole thing screams early-season Stranger Things energy, while hinting at the endgame showdown.
Meanwhile, in a galaxy not so far away
Levy also has a different kind of monster on deck: he is directing a standalone Star Wars movie titled Starfighter. It is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, stars Ryan Gosling, and has a release date locked.
Key dates to know
- Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1 hits Netflix (US) on November 26, 2025
- Vol. 2 lands December 25, 2025
- The series finale arrives December 31, 2025
- Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter opens May 28, 2027
Bottom line: the team called the rumor inaccurate, Brown and Harbour put on a united front, the premiere delivered a clear back-to-basics opening, and the release plan is stacked. Buckle up.