Stranger Things is coming back for a fourth season and you can rest easy because Hopper (David Harbour) is alive.
Thanks to a brand new trailer released by Netflix for the upcoming season, Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) pseudo father is not only alive but is now an American prisoner.
Seen working in the snowy fields of Kamchatka, Russia, Hopper is now bald, but unlike fan theories have suggested, he’s not in the Upside Down. We don’t think.
On September 30 2019, Netflix Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, released the following statement:
“The Duffer Brothers have captivated viewers around the world with Stranger Things and we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with them to bring their vivid imaginations to other film and series projects our members will love,” Sarandos said.
“We can’t wait to see what The Duffer Brothers have in store when they step outside the world of The Upside Down.”
So, what else do we know about the fourth instalment of the popular franchise?
WATCH: Stranger Things 4 Official Trailer. Story continues after video…
Filming Has Already Begun in Lithuania But Where Will The Season Be Set?
According to Netflix Life, production and filming have already started in Lithuania, with the cast and crew moving to Atlanta in early March.
Casting calls for extras have also been released, with an exact filming date of March 12 — however, as all productions go, this could change.
Back in September, a trailer showing the Upside Down was released featuring Hopper’s cabin and the words: “We are not in Hawkins anymore” — so where are they?
After Season 3 was released, Harbour changed his profile picture to Murray Bauman’s (Brett Gelman) phone number. An actual number you could call leading fans to a voicemail message, which when inverted, was the longitudinal coordinate pointing to Kamchatka.
And then, in an interview with EW last year, Matt Duffer (one of the creators) confirmed that Season 4 will “open up a little bit… in terms of allowing portals into areas outside of Hawkins,” while his brother Ross Duffer added that the new season is “going to feel very different than [Season 3]. I think that’s the right thing to do and I think it’ll be exciting.”
When Will It Be Released and How Many Episodes?
TV Line revealed last year that the Duffer brothers’ latest instalment will feature either eight or nine episodes (still unconfirmed), with filming to be wrapped around August 2020, however, production was halted back in March due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with Deadline in early June, Matt Duffer revealed the cast and crew had completed three weeks of shooting before they were shut down “pretty much along with the entire industry”.
With this new information, if all goes according to plan, they will release the new season in early 2021.
So, while we wait in anticipation, we do know what the first episode will be called.
“Chapter One: The Hellfire Club!”
looking for new members… are you in? pic.twitter.com/P1xAWNUPss
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) November 7, 2019
What Year Will Season Four Be Set In?
Each season of the hit show has been set in consecutive years. 1983, 1984 and 1985 — so, if we’re going by the same rhythm, we’re looking at 1986 for the fourth.
There is speculation, however, that there will be a time jump, with the show either beginning in 1987 or ending in 1987. A call for “vintage vehicles” specified that they should be “1987 and older models only”.
This seems pretty likely because Hopper’s appearance is very different from when he seemingly died — meaning an entire year could have passed.
Who Is in the Cast?
Apart from break-out Australian star, Dacre Montgomery whose character Billy was killed by a mind flayer, it looks like all of your favourites will be back.
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Noah Schnapp (Will), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Finn Wolfhard (Mike) and Sadie Sink (Max) are all set to make a return, and even though they’re now in college, Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Natalia Dyer (Nancy) and Joe Keery (Steve) will also make an appearance.
Joining the cast are Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd), Eduardo Franco (Booksmart) and Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great) who have been cast as series regulars, as well as Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Game of Thrones star, Tom Wlaschiha, who played Jaqen H’ghar on the hit series.
Also joining season four are Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands), Mason Dye (Bosch) and Nikola Djuricko (Genius).
Back in June, Matt and Ross told Deadline that there will be some exciting guest stars in the next instalment.
“We have some cool ones… a couple of ones this year,” they said.
“It’s a really fun way to get to meet one of your icons, ya know? Write a part for them and see if they want to do it. We got to work with Paul Reiser and Sean Astin… these are actors who we grew up watching and loving. It’s just absolutely surreal.”
What Will Actually Happen in Season Four?
At the end of the last season, Eleven (Brown) lost her powers meaning she was no longer able to move things with her mind or locate people.
The Upside Down threat is back thanks to the Russians, who are now in possession of a Demogorgon, meaning it could be one of the main settings for the next chapter.
But what of our heroic friends?
After the last season, Joyce moved out of Hawkins, taking Will and Eleven with her, leaving behind Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Nancy, Steve, Robin and Erica — so the current romantic relationships will be tested and explored.
According to Schnapp in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Will “might have a separate storyline from everyone else, so we might be filming, like, in another place.”
Is it 2021 yet?