The Shawshank Redemption” filmmaker Frank Darabont ended an 11-year retirement from directing when the opportunity to helm two episodes of “Stranger Things 5” presented itself. Why? He recently told The Daily Beast that it’s the blockbuster Netflix series’ heart that convinced him it was time to step out of retirement and direct again.

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, best known for helming 'The Shawshank Redemption,' revealed why the fifth season of 'Stranger Things' brought him out of retirement.

For their last season, the show has convinced famed director Frank Darabont to leave retirement and make his way to Hawkins. Darabont is an immeasurable talent, and he’s bringing those skills to episodes three and five in the last season of Stranger Things.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things can’t come soon enough! After production was impacted by the writers and actors' Strike in 2023, it was confirmed this past January that filming for Season 5 had begun.

Stranger Things season 5 has drafted a big name to direct several upcoming episodes. That name is Frank Darabont, the man who helmed one of the greatest movies of all time in The Shawshank Redemption.

Frank Darabont, director of revered Stephen King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, is coming out of retirement to direct two episodes of Stranger Things season 5 – and it's for an impossibly wholesome reason.