Stranger Things: The Shawshank Redemption Director on Why He Ended Retirement for Season 5

Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption (1994), came out of his over a decade-long retirement to helm multiple episodes of Stranger Things Season 5. Recently, he detailed why the globally popular Netflix series prompted him to return to the director’s chair.

Frank Darabont explains why he came out of retirement for Stranger Things Season 5

Frank Darabont explained in a new interview that he came out of retirement to reportedly direct two episodes of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things because he and his wife were fans of the show. His last directorial work before this was a few episodes of the TNT series Mob City, which premiered in 2013 and was canceled after one season.

“What really dragged me out of retirement was that my wife and I really love this show,” Darabont told The Daily Beast. “Our content now is so filled with horrible people doing horrible things for greedy reasons but Stranger Things has so much heart. That positivity is something I really responded to,” he added.

So, does this mean he’s back for good? “Who knows?” he admitted, leaving the question tantalizingly open. “I haven’t missed the business but I have missed being on set with creative people… It may well be one and done, but we’ve still got time,” Darabont further stated.

The Shawshank Redemption was Darabont’s first directorial feature. Besides helming the movie, he developed the screenplay based on the 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. Darabont’s directorial credits also include The Majestic (2001) and The Mist (2007).

Although The Shawshank Redemption is a prison drama movie and predominantly takes place inside an incarceration facility, it’s an incredibly uplifting story. It deals with themes such as hope, redemption, justice and rehabilitation, and imprisonment vs. freedom. The movie received nominations in seven categories at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995.

Stranger Things premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016, and has since become a global hit. Season 5 is expected to debut sometime in 2025.