The Stranger Things cast and crew are going to have a lot of work to do on season 4 when production resumes. Netflix announced late last week that they were going to halt production on the hit series, along with the rest of their scripted content. The coronavirus pandemic does not seem like it will be going away any time soon, so it might be a bit longer than the two-week delay that was initially proposed. Shutting down the production was not an easy decision to make and director Shawn Levy calls it "bittersweet."

Production on Stranger Things season 4 had been underway for a month when Shawn Levy had to deliver the news to the cast and crew. Over the past few weeks, most Hollywood productions have been halted. Movie theaters are closed in North America and a bunch of movie release dates have been postponed. This is the new normal for the time being. Levy had this to say about shutting everything down.

"I was having phone calls with Netflix while directing takes and blocking scenes. We shared the news with our cast and crew that we would be pausing production out of an abundance of caution. There were no sick crew members, no one was exhibiting symptoms, but it seemed like the right thing to do."

Since Stranger Things season 4 only had about a month of work done on it, there is going to be a lot more to do when the production is able to resume. Netflix first announced two weeks, but it's looking like it could be delayed even longer, which could then effect the release date too. Shawn Levy says that everything, "feels familial for everyone," since they are on the fourth season and telling the entire cast and crew that they had to stop "when we felt like we're on a roll" felt like letting some people down. Levy explains.

"When you're shooting, you create this micro society, this community. You're aware of the world beyond, but in all of my years directing and producing, I'm hard pressed to come up with any comparisons for this truly global situation."

Shawn Levy also addressed whether or not the crew were still going to get paid. Netflix has agreed to pay crew members for two 40-hour weeks while everything is halted. "I'm just happy that Netflix wants to do right by the health and well-being of the people who make this show," said Levy. It's going to be hard for everybody coming up here in the next few weeks, so it's nice to know that the streaming platform is taking care of its employees.

Shawn Levy went on to state, "We want primarily to make sure that all our crew and cast remain safe and healthy in these scary times." He went on to say that he hopes that fans of Stranger Things will "follow protocols and these distancing strategies," in an effort to keep the coronavirus from continuing to spread. The quicker everybody starts stepping in line, the quicker we can all go outside and live normal lives again. Variety was the first to report on the Stranger Things production.