‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ was written by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry.
Netflix has hardly been shy in producing or merchandising whatever it can from huge hit ‘Stranger Things’. But while a prequel story is something we certainly thought could happen given the mythology that creators Matt and Ross Duffer have woven for the series, we’re not sure we expected it to premiere on the London stage.
But that’s just what is happening: ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ is coming to the Phoenix theater in the UK capital by the end of 2023.
Based on an original by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, the play has been written by Trefry, a co-executive producer on the series.
What’s the story of the ‘Stranger Things’ prequel play?
Here’s the logline for the new ‘Stranger Things’ prequel…
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
Here’s what the Duffers have to say about the play:
“We are beyond excited about ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’. Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of ‘Stranger Things.’ We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won’t – it’s more fun to discover it for yourself. Can’t wait to see you nerds in London!”
The producer of the show, Sonia Friedman, says,
“The world and mythology of ‘Stranger Things’ has enabled a rich and fertile ground for creating an incredible story for the stage. The Duffer Brothers have built a huge global following for good reason, and a world-class creative team has built on their boundless imagination to dream up an unbelievably exciting theatrical event for our audiences. Set within the canon of ‘Stranger Things’, this new play opens in London, with the West End hosting the only place in the world to experience this new story –– for now. I’m thrilled to reunite with my visionary long-term collaborator Stephen Daldry. Together, with our brilliant Netflix partners, we can’t wait to welcome Stranger Things fans into theatre, and theatregoers into the realm of ‘Stranger Things’.”
(L to R) Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer on the set of Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things.’
The fact that the creators mention laying the groundwork for the future of ‘Stranger Things’ is interesting, since the show –– at least in its current incarnation –– is heading towards the end. Season 5 of the show has yet to shoot, which means it likely won’t hit Netflix until 2024 or even 2025. Yet the Duffers have talked about potential spin-offs, so even if you’re preparing to mourn the end of the show, we’re sure that there will be future visits to the Upside Down.
Can I buy tickets for the ‘Stranger Things’ play?
While it does mean a trip to London for now (there are no details yet about any plans for it to be staged in the States yet), fans looking to score tickets can register at this link: strangerthingsonstage.com.
Millie Bobby Brown in Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things.’
Michelle Yeoh in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of A24.
Awards season is rapidly reaching its endpoint with the Oscars just a couple of weeks away, and Sunday evening it was the turn of the Screen Actors Guild Awards to recognize performers’ work.
And like some other recent ceremonies, it was a case of some repeat winners continuing their triumph tour, with the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser picking up more hardware for their trophy cabinets.
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Which awards did ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ win at the Screen Actors Guild ceremony?
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has been on something of a rollercoaster ride this season and made SAG Awards history by becoming the first movie to win all four main film categories. The ensemble win was the icing on a cake that had already seen stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan (who has been getting up to accept plenty of awards this season so far) and Jamie Lee Curtis win.
The movie beat out ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, which had been tipped to at least score something, given that Martin McDonagh’s film had earned the same number of nominations as ‘EEAAO’.
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What do the SAG Awards mean for the Oscars?
While they are limited in scope, the SAG Awards are certainly a boost for ‘Everything Everywhere’, which had lost out at a few recent ceremonies. Michelle Yeoh is still not a lock for Best Actress, but we can imagine bookies slashing the odds on Quan and ‘The Whale’s Fraser if they hadn’t already.
And finally, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ picked up the Stunt Ensemble trophy, adding to its collection of largely technical recognition.
Monica Barbaro and Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Here is the complete film winners’ list:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Jennifer Coolidge in HBO’s ‘The White Lotus.’ Photograph by Fabio Lovino/HBO.
Who won the TV categories at the SAG Awards?
On the TV front, Mike White’s ‘The White Lotus’ continued its sweep of awards, while there was disappointment ahead for team ‘Better Call Saul’, as Jason Bateman won another trophy for ‘Ozark’.
‘Abbott Elementary’ kept up its own win tally, though the show’s creator and star Quinta Brunson was pipped to the Comedy Actress post by perennial winner Jean Smart of ‘Hacks’. Despite much appreciation for them both, ‘Only Murders in the Building’ duo Steve Martin and Martin Short lost out again, this time to ‘The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White.
As for the TV Movie/Limited Series awards, it was a case of movie stars doing TV as Sam Elliott took home the trophy for ‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1883’ and Jessica Chastain was named Best Female Actress in the category for ‘George & Tammy’. Plus, much like the movie categories, the SAG Awards are among the few awards bodies that recognize achievements in stunt work, and team ‘Stranger Things’ took that prize.
Here are the TV winners…
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Shawn Levy attends ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix.
It really is a good time to be director Shawn Levy right now. Not only is he one of the key creative team members behind ‘Stranger Things’ (he’s an executive producer and directs at least one episode a season), but his movie partnership with Ryan Reynolds on ‘Free Guy’ has led to a fruitful follow-up that included ‘The Adam Project’ and now, ‘Deadpool 3’, which is in development.
But there was even bigger news today, as Deadline brings word that Levy is also in talks to direct a ‘Star Wars’ movie for Disney/Lucasfilm.
While this could sound like a big rumour, Levy has confirmed that he’s at least in discussions via social media.
So far, Deadline has not been able to pry loose any details on writer, subject or release date from the notoriously close-mouthed Lucasfilm team, so we don’t yet know who else will be involved should Levy actually lock in a deal.
And outside of planning the ‘Deadpool’ mayhem and whatever his duties end up being on the fifth and final season of ‘Stranger Things’, Levy has been keeping typically busy. He’s in post-production on Netflix limited series ‘All the Light We Cannot See’, for which he directed all four episodes.
There is still chatter about a ‘Free Guy’ sequel and thanks to his 21 Laps company, Levy has rarely been overseeing more projects, though he has smartly delegated some of that work to his team.
Shawn Levy speaks during ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix.
It marks another positive turn in the continuing world of ‘Star Wars’, with several directors/writer-directors lined up for future films. Taika Waititi and Rian Johnson are both at different stages of planning movies set in that galaxy far, far away.
‘Wonder Woman’ director Patty Jenkins remains attached to Rebel fighter pilot pic ‘Rogue Squadron’, even as that film remains parked in a development hanger having lost its slot on the Disney/Lucasfilm release calendar.
Kathleen Kennedy and the Lucasfilm team has been trying to figure out the future of big screen ‘Star Wars’ following the mixed response to ‘The Rise of Skywalker’. There is no solid information about which movie will be next, but there is an untitled film set in the ‘Wars’ universe on the release calendar for 2025.
It’s beyond doubtful that any film directed by Levy could be ready for that date – with his existing assignments, he probably wouldn’t even be able to start work on a movie before 2025 anyway. So we’ll be waiting to watch this one.
Shawn Levy attends ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix.
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As the song goes, “You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout…” We’re telling you why – Santa Claus is not just coming to town. He’s going to town battling baddies who decide to take hostage and rob a wealthy family.
‘Stranger Things’ David Harbour stars here as Father Christmas, who when we first meet him in the trailer, is drowning his sorrows. He’s the OG Santa, and has been at this game a long time, starting to lose some self-belief.
What could restore his Christmas spirit? Try showing up at the home of young Trudy Lightstone (Leah Brady), whose wealthy family have gathered at their remote compound to celebrate the season.
(L to R) Jason (Alex Hassell), Gertrude (Beverly D’Angelo), Alva (Edi Patterson), Linda (Alexis Louder), Trudy (Leah Brady) and Santa (David Harbour) in ‘Violent Night,’ directed by Tommy Wirkola.
Yet when their party is rudely interrupted by a group of mercenaries led by John Leguizamo’s Ben – a gang who want to rob the family of the $300 million sitting in their vault – Santa will have to dish out some season’s beatings.
Expect a lot of Christmas puns in this one, which comes across as ‘Die Hard’ meets ‘Bad Santa’. While Harbour’s take on the character isn’t as badly behaved as Billy Bob Thornton’s, he’s certainly not your average, jolly Kris Kringle. This Santa knows how to fight.
With David Leitch – who became friends with Wirkola after running second unit and stunts for him on ‘Hansel & Gretel’ – producing alongside his partner Kelly McCormick and their 87North company, you know the combat scenes are going to be intense and inventive.
Boasting a host of Christmas decorations around to use as weapons, Santa will be dishing out rough justice to all those the naughty list, and even swapping out the usual lump of coal for a grenade down someone’s pants. Christmas lights, decorations and candy canes are all utilized to take out the baddies.
David Harbour in ‘Violent Night,’ directed by Tommy Wirkola.
Expect a load of references and Easter Eggs – though perhaps that should be Christmas baubles – to other festive films here, including ‘Home Alone’ and as mentioned above, ‘Die Hard’.
The tone is silly fun with a side order of furious chaos; after all, how many other films have Santa beating someone up with a sock filled with pool balls and then a joke about stepping in reindeer poop? You know what you did, Prancer.
With a script by ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ franchise veterans Pat Casey and Josh Miller, ‘Violent Night’ will be in theaters on December 2nd. Always bet on red…
(L to R) David Harbour and director Tommy Wirkola on the set of ‘Violent Night.’(L to R) David Harbour and John Leguizamo on the set of ‘Violent Night.’
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(L to R) Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck, Kieran Culkin, Brian Cox, and Sarah Snook in HBO’s ‘Succession.’
One of the biggest events in television is happening again in a couple of months – yes, the Emmy Awards are on their way. And some heavy hitters are once again nominated for multiple awards.
Shows including ‘Succession, ‘Ted Lasso’, ‘Ozark’, ‘Stranger Things’, and ‘Barry’ are regular presences in the Emmy field, scooping plenty of nominations (‘Succession’ leads the field with 25 nods.
Then there are the newcomers, including pop cultural sensation ‘Squid Game’, which has been winning all sorts of awards, and ‘Abbott Elementary’, which marks the rare network show to crack the nominations in the current era.
It’s good to see that ‘Better Call Saul’ actor Rhea Seehorn has been nominated at last, a long-deserving potential award winner thanks to her superb work on the show. As usual, there are surprising omissions. Selena Gomez has shown she’s able to go toe-to-toe with comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ but hasn’t been nominated here.
The full list of nominees is below. This year’s Emmy Awards will air live on NBC on Monday, September 12th, and will also stream on Peacock.
(L to R) Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) on Hulu’s ‘Only Murders In The Building’. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.
‘Abbott Elementary’ (ABC) ‘Barry’ (HBO) ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (HBO) ‘Hacks’ (HBO Max) ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ (Amazon) ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (Hulu) ‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple) ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX)
‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’ (Comedy Central) ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ (ABC) ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ (HBO) ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ (NBC) ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ (CBS)
BEST VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ (HBO/HBO Max) ‘Saturday Night Live’ (NBC)
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE)
‘The 64th Annual Grammy Awards’ (CBS) ‘Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes’ (ABC) ‘The Oscars’ (ABC) ‘Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent’ (NBC) ‘Tony Awards Presents: Broadway’s Back!’ (CBS)
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)
‘Adele: One Night Only’ (CBS) ‘Dave Chappelle: The Closer’ (Netflix) ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts’ (HBO/HBO Max) ‘Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special’ (Netflix) ‘One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’ (CBS)
BEST HOSTED NONFICTION SERIES OR SPECIAL
‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman’ (Netflix) ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ (Apple TV+) ‘Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy’ (CNN) ‘VICE’ (Showtime) ‘The World According to Jeff Goldblum’ (Disney+)
BEST REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
‘The Amazing Race’ (CBS) ‘Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls’ (Amazon Prime Video) ‘Nailed It!’ (Netflix) ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ (VH1) ‘Top Chef’ (Bravo) ‘The Voice’ (NBC)
Upside Down Pictures Logo. Photo Courtesy of imaginaryforces.com.
You might think that co-creating and overseeing one of the biggest shows in Netflix – and pop culture – history with ‘Stranger Things’ would be enough work for one lifetime.
Yet writers/directors/producers Matt and Ross Duffer, who guide the hit series, are certainly not planning to rest on their considerable laurels. They’ve formed a new production company called Upside Down Pictures in partnership with Netflix to figure out new ‘Stranger’-based projects plus other shows, movies and more.
The duo naturally needs some help to wrangle all of this, so they’ve hired Hilary Levitt, an executive who has experience with shows such as ‘Orphan Black’, ‘The Great’ and ‘Ozark’, to run the new company.
“It didn’t take long into our first meeting with Hilary, where we bonded over films like ‘Jaws,’ ‘Home Alone,’ and ‘Speed,’ to know we had found a kindred spirit,” say the brothers in a statement. “Hilary’s passion for storytelling is perhaps matched only by her passion for the storytellers themselves, for whom she is fiercely protective. No wonder so many writers and directors are drawn to working with her. She is a rare talent indeed, and we feel extremely grateful to have her at our side as we build Upside Down Pictures.”
“I remember the first movie I saw in the theater, the first VHS tape I got for Christmas, the first international one-sheet I bid for on eBay because it was cooler than the domestic,” adds Leavitt. “And the first time I met Matt and Ross. All of these seminal moments have led to this ridiculously cool opportunity to build a company with the Duffer Brothers where we produce movies and television because we love movies and television. This love is at the core of Upside Down Pictures, where we’re able to collaborate with other artists on projects across the full spectrum of genre. We all love what we do and are excited to do more and more.”
(L to R) Matt and Ross Duffer on the set of ‘Stranger Things.’ Photo courtesy of Netflix.
According to the release about the new company, the aim is “to create the kind of stories that inspired the Duffers growing up – stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.”
Among the projects they’ll be generating or shepherding include the planned ‘Stranger Things’ spin-off, which they’ve said will have a very different focus to the main show, and, more intriguingly, a stage play set within the ‘Stranger’ world and mythology that has Stephen Daldry directing and producing. All this in addition to cracking on with the work to make Season 5 of the show.
And that’s not all. Outside of ‘Stranger’ stories, they have a live-action series adaptation of manga and anime hit ‘Death Note’ in the works (Netflix previously turned the tale into a 2017 movie with Adam Wingard directing) and are moving their planned series version of Stephen King’s ‘The Talisman’ (which has Steven Spielberg’s Amblin company involved) to the new company.
Chances are a lot of you spent the 4th of July holiday weekend consuming the final two episodes of ‘Stranger Things’ fourth season, which arrived on Netflix on July 1st.
And if you’ve gotten through the bumper-sized duo, you’ll likely be speculating about the future for the show. Be warned that there are spoilers for the end of Season 4, though nothing too massive.
While every season of the series has ended with tendrils of story still to be resolved – the third, for example, saw Eleven powerless and Hopper trapped in Russia following the Battle of Starcourt – but Season4 pushed that even further, with the Upside Down fully invading Hawkins and our heroes facing yet another terrifying clash.
Yet while it left viewers eagerly anticipating the next set of episodes, we can look forward to
“The only reason we don’t expect to be as long is because typically — or this season, if you look at it, it’s almost a two-hour ramp up before our kids really get drawn into a supernatural mystery,” Matt Duffer explained on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast. “You get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, they’re struggling with adapting to high school and so forth. Steve’s trying to find a date, all of that. None of that is obviously going to be occurring in the first two episodes. For the first time ever, we don’t wrap things up at the end of four. Characters are already going to be in action, they’re already going to have a goal and a drive, and I think that’s going to carve out at least a couple hours and make this season feel really different.”
That said, it appears the pair are still considering a season finale that is “a lot longer” referencing ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s multiple endings. But they’re probably joking about that…
In other ‘Stranger’ news, the brothers also referenced the wild speculation that has happened since they announced a planned spin-off to the series. Apparently no-one (save series actor Finn Wolfhard) has gotten close to guessing what it will be. And not even the Netflix executives know.
I’ve read these rumors that there’s gonna be an Eleven spinoff, that there’s gonna be a Steve and Dustin spinoff or that it’s another number,” Matt says. “That’s not interesting to me because we’ve done all that. We’ve spent I don’t know how many hours exploring all of that. So it’s very different.”
According to the brothers, the connective tissue will not be on the casting front, instead linked by “storytelling sensibility”. And the duo is considering handing over the reins of any spin-off to others when they feel ready to head on to new projects.
With the writers’ room for the next season opening up in August, there’s no indication yet when ‘Stranger Things’ will be back with new episodes.
Now here comes the trailer for the episodes, promising a lot of explosive action, fresh threats, and ominous warnings that our heroes are in over their heads even more than ever.
Picking up a year or so after the explosive end of Season 3, the first volume’s episodes found Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his family living in Southern California, having made the smart choice to move away from Hawkins, Indiana. While Eleven is having trouble fitting into a new school, she’s soon informed by Sam Owens (Paul Reiser) that her particular set of mysterious skills are needed back in Hawkins.
There’s just one small problem with that plan: she doesn’t have them anymore. Yet back in Hawkins, things continue to be, well, strange. Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) are facing their own challenges, moving on up to Hawkins high school and all the potential bullying, hormonal issues and fashion challenges that presents.
But possibly having an even harder time is Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield, who is still grieving the death of brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who sacrificed himself in the big battle.
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They’ll need real help, as something even more terrifying is on the way and a giant conflict is bubbling away, with some of it tied to the creepy new location of the Creel House. Then there’s poor old Jim Hopper (David Harbour), locked away in a prison in Kamchatka, Russia. At least he’s alive, but for how long?
The end of Season 4’s first volume saw Mike’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) trapped in the Upside Down by new big bad Vecna and friend Steve (Joe Keery) in a bad way after being attacked by bat creatures.
With threatening voice-over from Vecna (who, spoiler alert, we learned is the son of the ill-fated Creel family, born with special abilities and eventually sent to the same facility that housed Eleven.) He went on to become a member of the staff (played in adult form by Jamie Campbell Bower) but has since embraced his inner darkness and is now hunting Hawkins townsfolk, killing them, and dragging them to the Upside Down.
And now he and Matthew Modine’s Dr. Brenner are all about telling Eleven that even with her powers restored, she might not be enough to stop him.
Is this the end for the Hawkins heroes? Well, we doubt it, given that Season 5 is in the works and planned to actually wrap up the series, but there’s every indication that not everyone will make it out of the season alive. Protect Steve’s hair at all costs!
Promising to be the biggest episodes yet – the two finale entries have a combined running time of nearly four hours – ‘Stranger Things 4’ Volume 2 lands on Netflix on July 1st.
If, by now you’ve finished watching the approximately 576 hours of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Volume 1 (okay, more like nearly nine hours), two things are probably true: you have Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” stuck in your head and you’re eagerly anticipating the next Volume.
Netflix is throwing us all a tiny tease of what we can expect via some new pictures from Volume 2 which, let’s not forget, comprises two episodes running nearly four hours when watched together.
Picking up a year or so after the explosive end of Season 3, the first volume’s episodes find Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his family living in Southern California, having made the smart choice to move away from Hawkins, Indiana. While Eleven is having trouble fitting into a new school, she’s soon informed by Sam Owens (Paul Reiser) that her particular set of mysterious skills are needed back in Hawkins.
There’s just one small problem with that plan: she doesn’t have them anymore. Yet back in Hawkins, things continue to be, well, strange. Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) are facing their own challenges, moving on up to Hawkins high school and all the potential bullying, hormonal issues and fashion challenges that presents.
But possibly having an even harder time is Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield, who is still grieving the death of brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who sacrificed himself in the big battle.
They’ll need real help, as something even more terrifying is on the way and a giant conflict is bubbling away, with some of it tied to the creepy new location of the Creel House. Then there’s poor old Jim Hopper (David Harbour), locked away in a prison in Kamchatka, Russia. At least he’s alive, but for how long?
The end of Season 4’s first volume saw Mike’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) trapped in the Upside Down by new big bad Vecna and friend Steve (Joe Keery) in a bad way after being attacked by bat creatures.
These new pictures could be considered a spoiler – unless the shot of Nancy with the gang is a flashback – but show the various storylines we’ve been following, including Mike and friends’ attempt to find Eleven, her digging into her tragic lab past alongside Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), Hopper and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) trying to get out of Russia alive and the characters in Hawkins making plans to take on Vecna (who, it is revealed, also has ties to Eleven’s past).
“The final episode has more FX shots than the entirety of Season 3,” co-creator Matt Duffer told Empire magazine after the first Volume dropped.
“There’s an hour-long chunk in the final episode that just doesn’t stop,” adds his brother and fellow show boss Ross. “It’s the most complicated thing we’ve ever attempted to do. It’s all tension and dread, with a run-time that would be long even for a movie. Then – well, everything goes to hell…”
Yeah, because life is always so peachy keen and easy for the Hawkins crew! ‘Stranger Things 4’ Volume 2 lands on Netflix on July 1st.
Just when the residents of Hawkins, Indiana (population: dwindling fast) thought that they’d finally put supernatural threats behind them following the traumatic events of the Battle of Starcourt, the new trailer for ‘Stranger Things’ fourth season suggests that their troubles are far from over. War is coming… and no-one is safe.
And that includes those such as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his family, who moved away to Southern California at the end of the last season. While Eleven is having trouble fitting into a new school, she’s soon informed by Sam Owens (Paul Reiser) that her particular set of mysterious skills are needed back in Hawkins.
There’s just one small problem with that plan: she doesn’t have them anymore.
Yet back in Hawkins, things continue to be, well, strange. Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) are facing their own challenges, moving on up to Hawkins high school and all the potential bullying, hormonal issues and fashion challenges that presents.
But possibly having an even harder time is Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield, who is still grieving the death of brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who sacrificed himself in the big battle. Not only is Max struggling with loss, but she also appears to have develop some interesting new abilities of her own, if the shot of her floating above the others is anything to go by.
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Whether it’s her or someone else achieving that, they’ll need the help, as something even more terrifying is on the way and a giant conflict is bubbling away, with some of it tied to the creepy new location of the Creel House.
Then there’s poor old Jim Hopper (David Harbour), locked away in a prison in Kamchatka, Russia, where life seems to be just as rough – what we must wonder now is how he gets free? We’ll get that answer, plus some flashbacks to fill in other story gaps in a season that promises to wrap the plot up.
For those who might not have seen the announcement a couple of months ago, the new season is so epic and huge that the creators (and Netflix) have opted to split it in two.
“With nine scripts, over eight-hundred 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,” wrote the Duffer brothers. “Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Given the unprecedented length, and to get it to you as soon as possible, Season 4 will be released in two volumes.”
Expect the first batch of episodes on May 27th, with the second haul following on July 1st. Bad news for those who were looking forward to their latest ‘Things’ binge, but good news in that the season will be able to contain more of the sprawling story.
