Opening Fantasia Fest with Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm,” the kid actor discussed onboarding at Netflix.

It’s not uncommon for kid actors to be told they’re turning into big stars at their movie premieres, but such praise felt especially fitting when it came to celebrating Nell Fisher at the world debut of Ant Timpson’s “Bookworm.” The 12-year-old actor, whose other work includes Lee Cronin’s “Evil Dead Rise,” was announced earlier this week as one of a few new faces expected on screen when “Stranger Things” finally returns with Season 5 sometime next year. She’ll replace twins Tinsley and Anniston Price as Mike and Nancy Wheeler’s little sister Holly, now old enough to play a real part in vanquishing Vecna.

Greeted with a sea of awkward laughter (and one audience member randomly yelling out, “Don’t do it!”), Fisher took a long pause when asked what she could share about the sci-fi juggernaut without getting into too much trouble.

Nell Fisher at the world premiere of “Bookworm” in Montreal
Photo credit: Julie Delisle, Fantasia International Film FestivalJulie Delisle
Although its been greenlit for ages, the final installment in the Duffer brothers’ horror dramedy has been delayed repeatedly thanks to the Hollywood strikes. It’s an industry reality Fisher may have to get used to, but that couldn’t have made keeping her secret any easier. Since premiering in 2016, the coming-of-age epic has steadily increased gaps between seasons with the last one being the longest.

Having opened Fantasia Fest 2024, “Bookworm” stars Elijah Wood and Fisher in Timpson’s unexpected and delightfully kid-friendly second feature. It’s an odd couple father-daughter adventure that’s the total opposite of the filmmaker’s earlier horror favorite “Come to Daddy” — a project that, considering her growing genre pedigree, Fisher could have been good in too. Celebrating his young star, Timpson joked that he attempted to congratulate Fisher before the future “Stranger Things” professional flatly inquired, “Who are you?”