Linda Hamilton Joins Stranger Things Season 5

The toughest mother to fight the apocalypse is trading terminators for the Upside Down. Terminator franchise star Linda Hamilton has joined Stranger Things for the fifth and final season of the popular sci-fi/fantasy series.

Netflix announced Hamilton’s casting during their annual Tudum fan event where they present upcoming movies, TV shows, and video games. The news came via a video from her Terminator costar Arnold Schwarzenegger. They did not disclose any details on her role in the show.

Hamilton starred as Sarah Connor, mother to future resistance leader John Connor, in 1984’s The Terminator. She made the role into something much bigger for the 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day, turning the scared waitress from the first movie into a buff, combat ready fighter. Hamilton returned to the sci-fi franchise in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate. She continued using that tougher/action heroine persona for movies and shows like Dante’s Peak, Chuck, Lost Girl, and Resident Alien.

Her addition is the latest in a line of stars of iconic ‘80s and early ‘90s movies to appear in the ‘80s set series created by the Duffer Brothers. Stranger Things guest and recurring stars with nostalgia credit have included Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket), Sean Astin (The Goonies), Paul Reiser (Aliens), Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise).

It may be a while before fans will see Hamilton on Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers have stated that production will not continue until the writer’s strike has been resolved.