Here's everything we know about the third season of 'Stranger Things'
New cast members, new siblings and is Bob back?
New cast members, new siblings and is Bob back?
New cast members, new siblings and is Bob back?
Yes, we know you're itching for more from the world of "Stranger Things." The good news: Season 3 already . The bad: We probably won't be seeing the new season in full for quite some time. Thankfully, the masterminds behind the show are dropping some clues as to what's next.
1) It probably won't be back until 2019.
Season 3 started filming this month and will consist of eight episodes, . Cast members are behind-the-scenes sneak peaks, like this one from Millie Bobbie Brown:
2) The story is going to feel fresh.
You probably noticed that the end of season 2 felt markedly different from the first one. Instead of an obvious cliffhanger, the Hawkins gang received a surprise happy ending — minus that ominous final shot of the hovering over a version of the school inside the Upside Down. Co-creator Matt Duffer told they wanted a "clean slate" for the show's third installment: "We didn't want to box ourselves in for season 3."
3) Season 3 will take place one year after season 2.
Executive producer Shawn Levy in March that season 3 of the new series would take place in the summer of 1985, a little less than a year after the events of season 2. It was a big summer for movies: "The Goonies" premiered June 7, while "Back to the Future" followed on July 3 of that year. Levy promised the latter would be a big reference point for season 3.
4) Eleven and Mike are now a couple, and so are Max and Lucas.
This seemed inevitable after the season 2 finale, which saw both duos share quick kisses. "Mike and Eleven and are going strong, so that's a relationship that continues, and same with Mad Max and Lucas," Levy . "But again, they're like 13- or 14-year-old kids, so what does romance mean at that stage of life? It can never be simple and stable relationships and there's fun to that instability."
5) You haven't seen the last of the Mind Flayer.
"This thing [is still out there]," co-creator Ross Duffer told . "They've shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it's very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven." Given the immense power Eleven showcased while shutting the portal in the season 2 finale, will she become responsible for ultimately destroying the Upside Down? Maybe she'll need her siblings for that.
6) Kali was the first but she won't be the last.
"I think we've clearly implied there are other numbers, and I can't imagine that the world will only ever know Eleven and Eight," Levy . Maybe Eleven will set out on a search for them — and hopefully take Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will with her. In an interview with , Matt Duffer called season 2's episode 7, in which Eleven spends time with Kali and her friends, "a whole little other pilot episode in the middle of your season," so it sounds like they're planning more like it.
7) Get ready for some new faces.
Cary Elwes, famous for his roles in "The Princess Bride," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" and "Saw" is headed to Hawkins as the town's mayor. Here's how Netflix describes the role, which sounds perfect for Elwes: "Handsome, slick, and sleazy, Mayor Kline is your classic '80s politician — more concerned with his own image than with the people of the small town he governs."
Meanwhile, "Ray Donovan" alum Jake Busey will play Bruce, "a journalist for the The Hawkins Post with questionable morals and a sick sense of humor."
Actress Maya Thurman-Hawke (the 19-year-old daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke) will also join the cast in a recurring role. She plays "an 'alternative girl' bored with her mundane day job," . "She seeks excitement in her life and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins, Indiana."
8) And there will be a lot more Erica, too.
The best character of season 2 will have an even bigger role in season 3; actress Priah Ferguson returns to the show in a recurring role as Lucas' devastatingly witty little sister. Here's what's in store for Erica, according to : "No longer content with sitting on the sidelines, Erica finds herself on a wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous new threat."
9) Prepare to leave Hawkins at some point.
The Hawkins lab is closed for good, executive producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen told , which means the action probably won't take place there in future seasons.
10) David Harbour has a lot of ideas for Hopper in season 3, starting with more scenes with Joe Keery, who plays Steve.
In a , Harbour revealed he loves how "kinda dumb" Steve is. "I would love to play scenes with him where Hopper is just completely ripping him apart and then he walks away and Steve just calls him a dip***t under his breath or something," Harbour said. He's also looking forward to exploring Hopper's relationship with Eleven now that he's officially, legally her father. "Hopper is now the dad of a girl who’s a teenager, so she’s going to be going through all these changes that it’s gonna be very difficult for him to guide her through," he said.
11) "Dad Steve" is coming.
"We stumbled onto a gold mine with Dad Steve," Levy , promising Steve will have more screen time in season three. Back in January, Levy promised that would include scenes with Dustin. "I want to see them connect more and be more familiar with each other," he . "I want them to have a connection like they’ve really had a connection for a year — like they’re brothers."
12) There might be a new villain.
Levy the gang will be "dealing with forces of evil that are new." Does this mean the show is moving outside the realm of the supernatural? Perhaps there is some human evil in store for the new season.
13) Eleven and Max will move on from that icy moment in episode nine.
In fact, they might even become friends. “We are excited to maybe see some more of those two together, moving forward,” Matt told . Ross added, “They won’t be enemies," and revealed we'll be getting much more Max in the coming seasons. "We’re excited [to] spend more time with Max and develop her in a way …we’re sort of scratching the surface on this season of what I think she’s capable of."
14) Season 3 might not focus on Will.
After two seasons of dealing directly with the Upside Down and its monsters, Will Byers might finally get a reprieve from its horrors. "Maybe now we're going to give him a break," Matt told . But Noah Schnapp, who plays Will, doesn't think that's gonna happen, telling THR:
"I personally think it's not all out of him... There's this massive monster taking over all of Hawkins, and all you have to do is light a few fires and turn on a few heaters, and he's gone? It just doesn't make sense to me, really. He's still there — I just don't know how."
However, Levy told that Will will get a break in season 3. "We’re not going to put Will through hell for a third season in a row. He’ll be dealing with stuff, but he won’t be at rock bottom the way we forced the amazing Noah Schnapp to play.”
15) Papa is still alive.
Way back in August 2016, Matt Duffer told that Dr. Brenner survived the monster attack in season 1:
"As an audience member watching the show, if that was his death, that would be very unsatisfying to me — when the monster jumps on him and we cut away. He would deserve much more than that as an ending."
In season 2, we only saw him thanks to Eleven's imagination, so he'll likely make a true appearance within the action in a future season.
16) We'll probably learn more about Billy.
Last time we saw season two's new bully, his stepsister Max was threatening his groin with a nail-studded wooden bat if he ever bothered her or her friends again. In an interview with , actor Dacre Montgomery revealed he had conversations about "a past and a future" for Billy while filming season 2. "Where he's going became a discussion near the end of filming," Montgomery said. But perhaps we'll also get some flashbacks from the character in season three?
17) We might see Bob again.
They tried to kill Bob earlier in season two, Ross told , but they loved his character too much. “I will say I would love to revisit the character of Bob in some way but I don’t know how to even do that," Matt revealed.
18) The Duffer Brothers know how the story ends — but don't know how many seasons are left.
"We know where we want to go," Ross told "We're trying to figure out how long it will take to get there." Matt added, "Four [seasons] seems short, five seems long."
19) We may never find out what exactly the Upside Down is.
"We're telling this story from the point of view of very human characters," Ross told . "There's no way they can ever truly fully understand this place."