In a nutshell:
The record-breaking, heart-stopping, nostalgia-laden sci-fi sensation starring Millie Bobby Brown as the telekinetic teenager Eleven is set to return almost three years after the last instalment.
Has a Stranger Things season four release date been confirmed?
On 6 November 2021, Netflix released a teaser which revealed that the fourth season would drop in the summer of 2022. It also provided a list of cryptic titles for each of the nine upcoming episodes, which included “Vecna’s Curse”, “Dear Billy”, “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” and “Papa.” Then, on 17 February, the streaming giant announced that, unlike the show’s previous instalments, season four would be split into two parts. Volume one is set to debut on 27 May and volume two on 1 July.
In an open letter to fans, the Duffer brothers explained that this was because of the fourth season’s unprecedented length and would help to get episodes out to viewers as soon as possible. “With nine scripts, over 800 pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” they wrote. “Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
What will the Stranger Things season four cast look like?
Fan favourites Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will), Sadie Sink (Max), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Joe Keery (Steve), Maya Hawke (Robin), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) are all expected to return. More good news? According to Variety, Priah Ferguson, who stole the show in season three as Erica, the wisecracking younger sister of Lucas, has been promoted to a series regular.
Then there are the brand new recruits. In November 2020, it was reported that eight additional cast members had come on board for season four. Among them is Jamie Campbell Bower as a man who works at a psychiatric hospital, Eduardo Franco as a fun-loving stoner and Jonathan’s new best friend, Joseph Quinn as an audacious ’80s metalhead, Robert Englund as a psychiatric patient and Tom Wlaschiha as a Russian prison guard who befriends Hopper. If that wasn’t enough, four more actors joined the line-up in June 2021: Myles Truitt as a basketball star, Grace Van Dien as a cheerleader, Regina Ting Chen as a guidance counsellor and Amybeth McNulty as a band nerd who catches the eye of one of our heroes.
What can we expect from Stranger Things season four?
In February 2020, a teaser revealed that Jim Hopper, who was presumed dead at the end of season three after helping to close the gate between the real world and the Upside Down, is in fact alive and working on an icy railroad in Russia alongside other prisoners. “We’re excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things 4 is now underway — and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper,” the Duffer brothers added in a statement. “Although it’s not all good news for our ‘American’; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human… and other. Meanwhile, back in the States, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything. Season four is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more.”
While plot details have been kept carefully under wraps, director and executive producer Shawn Levy spoke to Variety about the epic scale of season four in July 2021. “I shot in Lithuania right before the pandemic,” he said. “We have filmed in Georgia, Lithuania and New Mexico, so suffice to say season four is sprawling. It’s visually and narratively very ambitious, much more ambitious than the prior three seasons. The delay is due in large measure to Covid-19 and the pace at which we have to work to do so safely, but it also happens to be the season that we chose to go much bigger.”
On 17 February, another synopsis shed more light on what we can expect. “It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins,” it read. “Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”
What year will Stranger Things season four be set in?
The first season is set in 1983, the second in 1984 and the third in 1985, meaning fans had been expecting the fourth season to be set in 1986. This was confirmed by the teaser released on 6 November which stated that the adventure would continue in the spring of 1986.
When can I watch the Stranger Things season four trailer?
Although a full-length trailer has yet to be released, a teaser which dropped in May 2021 showed Eleven seemingly locked behind a door in an institution which closely resembles the one she grew up in. “Eleven, are you listening?” asks a voice which appears to belong to Dr Martin Brenner, the former scientist who raised her as a test subject.
Then came a sneak peek on 6 August, which gave us a glimpse of Hopper carrying a flamethrower and Eleven with long hair and a fringe (a departure from her season three bob). On 25 September, another teaser arrived titled “Creel House”. It showed a family of four moving into their new home in the 1950s. They’re happy for a time, until their lights begin to flicker and a disemboweled rabbit is found by their front door. Then, suddenly, the two children lie motionless on the floor behind their father. The story then moves forward in time, with Steve, Dustin and the gang entering the now abandoned house in search of clues and discovering an ominous-looking grandfather clock.
On 6 November came yet another teaser trailer. This one featured Eleven writing a letter to Mike from her new home in California. We see her walking down the hallways of her school, dealing with bullies and counting down to spring break when the pair hope to reunite. There are also shots of revellers at a roller skating rink, a shoot out involving Jonathan and Mike, and a scene on a dusty plain with a helicopter and giant explosions. The message is clear: season four is bigger than ever.
Will there be a fifth season of Stranger Things?
Yes! On 17 February, Netflix announced that Stranger Things would end with season five. “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,” the Duffer brothers said in their statement. “At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four but – as you’ll see for yourselves – we are now hurtling towards our finale.”
But, there’s some hope for those who want to see more of the universe the Duffers have created. “There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things: new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes,” they added, leaving the door open to a sequel or spinoff series. “But first, we hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mum, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down.”
Editor
Radhika SethCredit
Lead Image: Netflix
