Here’s all you need to know about the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Season 4 of Stranger Things has a release date. Netflix has confirmed that the new series will premiere in May, but that it will not include the complete season. Stranger Things season 4 will now be broken into two parts, with the second set of new episodes arriving a few weeks later. To make up for it, the showrunners have vowed that the upcoming season would be expanded in length.
So, what exactly do you require? Well, there’s a lot of information about Stranger Things season 4 out there. Along with the release date, there will be a number of trailers and clips, as well as episode titles, cast lists, and other information. We even have confirmation that a specific police chief will return. Scroll down for more from Hawkins, as well as everything we know about Stranger Things season 4 thus far.
The release date for Stranger Things season 4 has been revealed by Netflix. The first half of the new season will premiere on May 27, followed by the second half on July 1. There’s no information on how many episodes each batch will include.
What’s the significance of the two release dates? The showrunners, the Duffer brothers, stated in a statement that the next season is the most ambitious ever, which means it will take longer to complete than expected. As a consequence, they’ve chosen to split up the episodes and distribute them in two parts. “It’ll be here shortly,” the two remarked. “It’s larger than it’s ever been.”
The series was “scheduled to come out early [2021],” according to David Harbour, who portrays Hopper, but was delayed owing to the coronavirus outbreak, which prevented numerous movies and TV programs from filming. The series had started shooting before to the epidemic but had to stop due to the outbreak.
It’s also worth mentioning that Season 5 of Stranger Things will be the last season of the program. The present narrative will be wrapped up before the end of the season. The showrunners have also hinted at “many more interesting tales to tell inside the universe of Stranger Things,” which, if we’re being honest, seems like an open invitation for someone to come along and create a spin-off.
Season 4 trailer for Stranger Things
Season 4 of Stranger Things was formally revealed (to no one’s surprise) with a teaser clip that included the season 4 logo being strangled by the Upside Down’s live vines, after various Twitter hints. It also features a chiming clock. “We’re not in Hawkins anymore,” says the video’s last statement. Is it possible that the mysteries of the Upside Down will be revealed?
Then, in February 2020, another trailer appeared, indicating a major comeback… Hopper is still alive! The Duffer brothers have stated that David Harbour’s character will return after dying at the conclusion of Season 3.
“It’s not all good news for our American; he’s been imprisoned far from home in Kamchatka’s frigid wilderness, where he’ll confront both human… and other perils,” the brothers stated. “In the meanwhile, back in the United States, a new tragedy is surfacing, something long-buried, something that ties everything together….
“Season 4 is shaping up to be the largest and scariest season yet, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.” Meanwhile, please pray for the American.”
Netflix also released a video of the actors doing a table read, indicating that a few notable stars would return. As predicted, Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Noah Schnapp (Will), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Winona Ryder (Joyce), Sadie Sink (Max), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), and Natalia Dyer (Nancy) are all present. Cara Buono (Karen) and Maya Hawke (Robin), who stole the show this season, will return. Then there’s a bald-headed David Harbour (Hopper), who looks like he’s just returned from a trip to Mother Russia.
In May 2021, a new teaser video was released, showing test subjects at Hawkins National Laboratory going about their daily routines in the ominously dubbed Rainbow Room. We can hear Eleven’s heavy breathing coming from her chamber in this flashback sequence. “Are you paying attention, Eleven?” Dr. Brenner, played by Matthew Modine, was the lab’s former director. Cryptic.
In August 2021, a new teaser trailer was published. In one point, Eleven is shown with a new appearance and is being held back by mysterious government agents. In another, Hopper seems to have escaped Russian custody in some manner and is wreaking havoc with a flamethrower.
Another teaser, this one shown at Netflix’s Tudum event, shows a new enigmatic location: Creel House, which the Duffer Brothers characterize as “very crucial.”
After leaving Hawkins with Will’s mother Joyce at the conclusion of season 3, another (yes, another) teaser, titled “Welcome to California,” sees Eleven and Will struggling to adapt into their new life – and school – in the Golden State. Eleven is shown in the teaser writing a letter to Mike, who is still in Indiana, expressing him how excited she is to see him during spring break. But, given the nature of Stranger Things, spring break doesn’t seem to be going as smoothly as they’d hoped — the teaser promises car chases, gunfights, and explosions galore.
The number of episodes in Stranger Things season 4 and their names
Stranger Things season 4 will be nine episodes long, much like the second season.
“The Hellfire Club” is the title of the first episode, which was disclosed via a tweet accompanying the statement “Looking for new members… are you in?”
Vecna’s Curse, The Monster and the Superhero, Dear Billy, The Nina Project, The Dive, The Massacre At Hawkins Lab, Papa, and The Piggyback are among the remaining episode names for the season.
The Hellfire Club may be a well-known X-Men gang, but it is also the name of Hawkins High’s official Dungeons & Dragons club. Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, will be the club’s president. Stranger Things season 4 will include a lot more D&D role-playing.
Season 4 of Stranger Things will not be the final season.
Fans of Stranger Things need not fear: season 4 will not be the last season. Millie Bobby Brown may be starring in new Netflix films such as Enola Holmes, but she hasn’t abandoned the show that gave her a national name just yet.
The Hollywood Reporter quoted showrunner Ross Duffer as saying, “Season 4 won’t be the finale.” “We know what the end is going to be like, and we know when it’s going to happen.” [The coronavirus epidemic] has provided us with the opportunity to plan ahead and choose what is best for the show. We were able to get a better understanding of how long we needed to convey that tale once we started filling it out.”
How many seasons will there be in total? That will have to wait and see. The Duffer brothers did not respond to a request for comment. Whatever the situation may be, Stranger Things will return after season 4, and we are grateful for that.
Season 4 of Stranger Things will be the most terrifying yet — as well as the most popular.
Even though the immediately famous Scoops Ahoy suit has been retired, Joe Keery, who portrays Steve Harrington, got us extremely eager for Season 4 of Stranger Things.
“Oh yeah, it’s quite incredible — the Duffer brothers have really outdone themselves this time,” Keery said to Total Film. “I believe that this year – and I know I say this every year – will be far scarier than previous years, since last year was so gloomy.”
“I know the costume fulfilled its purpose, and I’m pleased to retire it [laughs],” he said when asked about hanging up the Scoops Ahoy suit. Is that anything I have at home for Halloween? Regrettably, I do not. They are refusing to give me that one. “One of these days!” Perhaps Scoops Ahoy is no longer creepy enough for Stranger Things? Unfortunately, we can only hope Steve doesn’t have to put on another ludicrous wardrobe anytime soon.
In a similar vein, the Duffer brothers have hinted at a different tone this time. “Every time we start a new season, we want it to feel and sound different,” they previously said. While they didn’t go any farther, it wouldn’t be surprising if Stranger Things became scarier in season 4.
Finn Wolfhard also said this season will be darker, according to CBC’s Radio Q (via Complex): “It becomes darker with each passing season.” Really, with Season 3, I was like, ‘This is the darkest season that there will ever be,’ with all the exploding rats and everything. But, thus far, Season 4 has been the darkest season in the series’ history.” “Every year, it becomes more intense,” he remarked. It becomes funnier, darker, sadder, and everything every year. They boost the ante every year.”
Gaten Matarazzo, meanwhile, told ET Online on season 4’s tone: “When it comes to the tone of the season, I think the tone has certainly grown for sure, and I think [Matt and Ross Duffer] do it on purpose because I believe they want their show to develop with their kids.” As we mature as individuals, we must also mature as personalities. They’re presented with this problem, but they accept it and make the most of it. They don’t become upset as we get bigger or our voices drop, or anything like that. They utilize it as a source of inspiration for their writing. It’s amazing what they’re capable of. It’s an absolute pleasure to work with them. “It’s always been.”
After Keery’s remarks, Natalia Dyer teased that the next series would be “very large,” saying, “Honestly, the scripts are wonderful.” I’m really looking forward to that. I’m looking forward to Nancy’s arrival. We all wonder at the conclusion of each season, “Where is this going to go?” What’s the worst that might happen? Then we receive the scripts for the next season and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, wow, amazing!'”
Sean Levy, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, went even farther, saying that season 4 would be “greater than before.” “[The coronavirus delay] impacted very positively by allowing the Duffer Brothers to write the entire season before we shot it for the first time ever and to have time to rewrite in a way that they rarely had before, so the quality of these screenplays are exceptional, perhaps better than ever,” Levy said.
So, instead of physically writing things while production, the authors were able to continuously modify and play with the scripts over the several months when the Stranger Things actors and crew were twiddling their thumbs. That can only be beneficial.
The fourth season of Stranger Things takes place in the town of Hawkins, Indiana.
The Soviets’ participation in season 3 was kept a secret until the episodes were released on Netflix, so don’t anticipate any huge narrative twists in Stranger Things season 4 for a bit. However, one of the most pressing issues we have right now is when the next season will begin. Not only the month, but also the year, as we’ve already mentioned.
Stranger Things season 4 would follow in the footsteps of the first three seasons, which were set in November 1983, October 1984, and July 1985, respectively, therefore it would be following in the footsteps of the first three seasons if it took place the following year, in 1986. However, we wouldn’t be shocked if the program skipped 1986 altogether and went directly to 1987.
Why? It’s not that we dislike the year that gave us Top Gun and Aliens – both of which would be perfect for the kind of Easter egg treatment that Back to the Future got in season 3. Instead, this notion is based on the fact that the show’s adolescent ensemble ages far quicker in real life than they do on screen.
Although Eleven, Mike, Dustin, and the rest of the cast have only been on the show for 20 months in Hawkins time, they have aged more than three years in the real world, and it will be at least another 18 months before we see them again. Increasing the in-show gap between seasons would be a decent method to deal with the show’s creative team’s inability to generate episodes any faster, according to Shawn Levy.
“We probably remark to ourselves once a week that we really should work quicker,” Levy told SFX, a sister magazine of GamesRadar+, ahead of season three. “Then we realize, ‘Oh wait, we’re working at the pace we can work at,’ and we’re done.” It takes what things takes to accomplish it well, no matter how much we vow to work faster. Because we are unable to control the speed, we must accept the maturation of our performers because we do not have any choice.”
Stranger Things season 4 will see the return of Hopper.
Jim Hopper’s whereabouts are the greatest mystery in Hawkins. Of course, we already know Eleven and the crew will return, but we don’t know when. It remains to be seen how they will handle his eventual reappearance. Stranger Things Season 4 will have a “massive, tremendous bombshell regarding Hopper’s past,” according to David Harbour.
It has to do with one of the marked boxes Eleven discovers in Hopper’s cache around the halfway point of the second season. “There are five boxes,” Harbour adds, “one of which holds Brenner’s material from Hawkins Lab, one of which says ‘Dad,’ one of which says ‘Vietnam,’ and one of which says ‘New York.” So, if we don’t pay off these three things that we’ve built throughout the season, it indicates that [the Duffer brothers] are lousy writers. The Duffer brothers are also excellent authors.”
“I’m very happy to expose this side of the character,” he concluded. It’s something I’ve known from the first frame of the first shot, but we haven’t spoken anything about it yet. Finally, we’ll put it out there in a major manner. It has to do with these backstories of New York, Vietnam, and dad, and it’s my favorite thing about him that you guys don’t know about him yet.”
During a press run for Black Widow, Harbour spoke with Total Film about how Hopper’s reappearance was similar to Gandalf’s in Lord of the Rings.
He remarked, “I’ve had such chats with [the Duffer brothers] since the first season.” “That concept of Gandalf the Grey fighting the Balrog and subsequently becoming Gandalf the White was always intriguing to us.” It’s the concept of the character’s resurrection.
“In a way, Hopper had to shift mythologically.” You couldn’t keep going the way he was going. In some manner, he must revive. As a result, it was a fantastic chance to do so. As a result, we’ll witness a totally different individual in the future. He’s the same man, but this time he’s acting in a different way. It’s fantastic to be able to participate.”
The fourth season of Stranger Things has a storyline.
Murray Bauman, the Russian-speaking conspiracy theorist who played a crucial role in season 3 (and has since been promoted to a regular cast member for season 4) has intimated that he knows something about Hopper’s location and may be able to help bring him back to Hawkins. According to CNET, calling Murray’s home phone number (618-625-8313, according to the program) results in the following message:
“Hello, you’ve arrived to Murray Bauman’s home. If this is your mother, please hang up and contact me between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m., as we previously agreed. If this is Joyce, please say: Thank you for calling; I had been trying to contact you for quite some time. I’ve got some news for you. It’s about… well, let’s just say it’s probably better if we talk face to face. It’s neither good nor terrible, but it’s a start.”
According to reports, season 4 will be shot in New Mexico, which is home to shows like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and a big conspiracy theory…
“This is the first time the program will be shooting outside of Atlanta,” Netflix’s Momita SenGupta said of the choice to shoot in New Mexico, adding that the show would be “larger, bolder, and more complicated than before.”
So, why is Stranger Things moving up in the ratings? It’s almost certainly connected to spoilers. When questioned about the New Mexico scenes, SenGupta responded, “If I told you that, I’d be vanishing into the Witness Protection Program.” Those of you who are familiar with UFO history may point to at least one important site of interest in New Mexico: Roswell, where extraterrestrial evidence was allegedly discovered in 1947. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the event became more well-known. Is it possible that Bauman will go exploring?
Season 4 of Stranger Things will likely focus on how Eleven is surviving now that her telekinetic abilities have faded — as well as how she’s adjusting to life without Hopper, living with the Byers in a new (as-yet unnamed) town. While we’re fairly sure Stranger Things season 4 will bring Eleven, Joyce, Jonathan, and Will back to Hawkins at some point, Noah Schnapp (who portrays Will) hinted in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that the plot may pick off with him in a new location: “I know I may have a different plot than everyone else, therefore we could be shooting in a different location.”
New set photographs show Eleven being transported on a stretcher, replete with an oxygen mask, implying that things may not go neatly for her. There are also police vehicles, what seems to be an armed soldier or guard, and a lot of debris, so whatever is going on right now appears to be devastating.
“I believe the greatest thing that’s going to change [in the upcoming season] is it’s going to expand out a little bit, not necessarily in terms of size, in terms of amazing effects, but open up in terms of enabling plotlines into regions outside of Hawkins,” Ross Duffer said in Entertainment Weekly.
Stranger Things’ Starcourt squad
“Areas outside of Hawkins” may refer to the Byers’ new home or, more ominously, additional visits to the Soviet Union — after all, after going to the trouble of creating that massive base under the Starcourt Mall, it’s doubtful that Communist troops will vanish very soon. Indeed, Duffer might be alluding to the strange land of the Upside Down, where we’ve spent very little time and know even less over the course of three seasons.
Caleb McLaughlin, who portrays Lucas, told Entertainment Weekly, “No one truly understands what the Upside Down is; we just know what comes from it, like Demogorgons and the Mind Flayer.” “However, the Upside Down is a parallel universe to our own. No one truly knows since our planet is so huge that there are more than Demodogs, Demogorgons, and Mind Flayers.”
Perhaps not even the Duffers, according to Levy, who told SFX in June that “we don’t really follow any overall road plan.” Every year, we wind up doing activities that pique our attention at the time, which means we don’t plan everything.”
In July, Ross Duffer told Entertainment Weekly, “We don’t know a lot [about Stranger Things season 4], but we do know a lot of the big broad strokes.” “Billy [Hargrove] was known to us by the conclusion of season two.” We were expecting the Russians to arrive. We didn’t know about the mall and other details, but we were familiar with the broad strokes. In Season 4, we’re at a similar point. We’ve got the broad strokes covered. It’s now only a matter of filling in the blanks in the specifics. We’re really looking forward to seeing where it goes. It’ll be a completely different experience than this season. But I believe it is the correct course of action, and I believe it will be exciting.”
Season 4 will set up the show’s conclusion, according to David Harbour. He told Collider, “I mean, it’s larger, that’s the first thing.” “In terms of breadth, size, and even the notion that we’re no longer in Hawkins.” We’re larger in terms of geography. We’re adding new material, but we’re also tightening and winding things up in a particular way to give it a clear, clean, distinct, and certain finale at some point, which I can’t really discuss.”
Season 4 cast of Stranger Things
While Netflix’s accountants will be ripping their hair out at the prospect of finding money to pay a vast ensemble of actors who will be far more costly than they were as unknowns back in 2016, the Stranger Things season 4 cast is unlikely to alter significantly. Though we’ve probably seen the last of Dacre Montgomery as Billy (even in a sci-fi show it’s tricky coming back from being repeatedly impaled by a monster) we’d be surprised if any of the Hawkins regulars were missing, something which has been confirmed by a cast reading video.
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Sadie Sink (Max), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Joe Keery (Steve), Cara Buono (Karen), Winona Ryder (Joyce), Noah Schnapp (Will), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) and, of course, Millie Bobby Brown (Mike) are Hopper, played by David Harbour, is another example. The return of Maya Hawke (Robin) has been announced.
Star Hawke told Consequence of Sound, “I want to see [Robin] in the video shop.” “So many of the great minds of the ’80s and ’80s filmmakers and creatives started out working in video stores, and as far as I know, that environment hasn’t really been explored on TV. I think that would be really fun.”
The Stranger Things writers have also promised that Steve and Robin will certainly be back, but doing their own thing. They wrote on Twitter: “Steve is doing his own thing, you know, working with Robin and not drinking enough water because he gets distracted too easily and forgets where he put his drink.”
We haven’t seen the last of the brilliant Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, either – now a season regular. And after the briefest of wordless cameos in the season 3 finale, Paul Reiser’s Dr. Sam Owens will surely have a role to play next time out.
And Lucas’s little sister Erica was such a key player in the assault on Starcourt Mall that Priah Ferguson will surely be back.
One of the new characters in Stranger Things
Onto the newcomers. Stranger Things season 4 has added three regulars to proceedings. Jamie Campbell Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Sweeney Todd) will play Peter Ballard, who is described as being “an orderly at a psychiatric hospital” and is “tired of the brutality he witnesses day after day”. That sure sounds like a character with links to Eleven’s origins.
Eduardo Franco (Booksmart, The Binge) joins the cast as Argyle, Jonathan’s new best friend and a “fun-loving stoner who proudly delivers delicious pizza pies for Surfer Boy Pizza”. Rounding out the new regulars is Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great, Howards End) as Eddie Munson, who runs The Hellfire Club.
Joining those three regulars are eight recurring characters. Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands, Westworld) will portray Lt. Colonel Sullivan, who believes he can stop the evil in Hawkins. Mason Dye (Bosch, The Goldbergs) will play Jason Carver, a rich, handsome, teenager who’s dating the most popular girl in school. “But as a new evil threatens Hawkins, Jason’s perfect world begins to unravel,” read Netflix’s description of him.
Nikola Djuricko (Genius, In The Land of Blood and Honey) will play Yuri, “a seedy and unpredictable Russian smuggler who loves bad jokes, cold hard cash, and crunchy style peanut butter.” Russian? Potentially working with Hopper in Russia then?
Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise) is set to appear as Victor Creel, “a disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the ’50s.”
Plus, there’s Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Jack Ryan) who will play Dmitri, a Russian prison guard who befriends Hopper. There a question of whether he can be trusted, which will no doubt be the case with most of these new characters.
That’s not all the new additions, either – Anne With An E’s Amybeth McNulty joins the cast as Vicky, described as a “cool, fast-talking band nerd who catches the eye of one of our beloved heroes.” Miles Truitt is set to play basketball star Patrick, while Regina Ting Chen will play guidance counselor Ms. Kelly, and Grace Van Dien is lead cheerleader Chrissie, who conceals a “dark secret.”
The movies influencing Stranger Things season 4
As per the “Stranger Writers” account on Twitter, the writers’ room has been looking at five films in particular for inspiration: The Peanut Butter Solution, The Fisher King, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, You’ve Got Mail and Ordinary People.
While each could be a red herring or just something discussed in terms of a particularly minor plot point, the selection still offers a glimpse at the thematic qualities in the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Interestingly, a handful of these (The Fisher King, Ordinary People) deal with life in the big city and involve coping with traumatic events, including deaths and suicide. With the first season 4 teaser outright saying, “We’re not in Hawkins anymore,” each could be a touchstone for how the Byers family deals with life outside Indiana.
Meanwhile, The Peanut Butter Solution is perhaps a more obscure reference point: it features plenty of fantasy horror, as well as an older authority figure exploiting children for his own end – much like Eleven’s origins. Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey may be the most recognizable, though, and also the most interesting. That’s because it contains time travel and is also delightfully ’80s in terms of its big hair, big ballads, and even bigger fantastical scope, despite being released in 1991.
