Stranger Things Creators May Have Accidently Confirmed A Huge Season 5 Time Jump

As "Stranger Things" inches ever closer to the long-awaited release of Season 5, fans of Netflix's hit sci-fi series are dutifully combing through all of its pre-release materials and teasers for any possible hints at what the show's final batch of installments might entail. Thus far, viewers have managed to discern some pretty major clues, such as the potential return of a certain lapsed "Stranger Things" cast member. However, a fresh slew of behind-the-scenes shots from production may offer some of the juiciest tidbits yet on the series' return, with the photos containing evidence of a major time jump forward in Season 5.

On his official Instagram account, "Stranger Things" co-creator Ross Duffer posted a series of images from the first day of filming Season 5. Several of these set photos are out of context, and it's unclear how they might factor into the actual narrative of the new season. However, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that one shot, which features a poster from Pink Floyd's 1982 "The Wall" film, contains a certain book called "Planing, Shaping & Slotting," by Fred H. Colvin. This particular book was released in 1988 — two years after the main action of "Stranger Things" Season 4, which primarily takes place in 1986. As such, fans are speculating that the book's presence suggests a time jump in the new season up to the year 1988.

If "Stranger Things" Season 5 really is jumping forward in time by two years, it wouldn't be too surprising an outcome. After all, each subsequent season of the series has moved the clock forward by a fair amount rather than directly picking up from the previous installment. "Stranger Things" Season 1 takes place in late 1983, Season 2 leaps forward by a year into late 1984, Season 3 moves the better part of a year into mid-1985, and Season 4 once again starts nearly a year later, in early 1986.

While time jumps are a commonality between each season of "Stranger Things," moving the events of the final chapter to 1988 would mark the biggest chronological leap forward yet. It remains to be seen how the show's narrative makes use of this shift, but it's possible that this choice was made to address a behind-the-scenes issue. The child actors from "Stranger Things" have grown considerably, to the point where it may be difficult to convincingly portray them as early high-schoolers. "Stranger Things" Season 5 has plans to deal with its aging child stars, but introducing a time skip helps alleviate the pressure.