Looks like Stranger Things fans can finally mark their calendars for a return to Hawkins, Indiana. Netflix released a premiere date for its sci-fi sensation: the new season will air on July 4, a return to the shows original summer premiere date after it moved to the fall for its second season in 2017.
Netflix teased the shows return on New Years Eve with a video containing footage purportedly from Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve in 1985—sponsored locally by Hawkinss newly introduced Starcourt Mall. This could well be Stranger Thingss penultimate chapter, so fans might as well savor it as much as possible. As for what we already know? Most details about the upcoming season are being kept secret—but there are some details in the ether . . .
Steves got a summer job.
This season will debut in the summer, and also take place in the sunny months, as Steve finds himself scooping ice cream at the mall. (Previous seasons have been set in the fall and winter, making this a bit of a departure for the series.) Steves coworker will be a new character, Robin—played by Maya Hawke (daughter to Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman).
Robin is an “alternative girl” whos been described as “equal parts sharp and playful.” But her life scooping ice cream is apparently not enough; she wants a little more excitement—“and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins.” Good ol Steve will probably be along for that journey.
As for what this adventure might entail? The character description for another new player, Heather (to be played by incoming series regular Francesca Reale), also alludes to a dark mystery: per Variety, Heather is a popular lifeguard at the towns community pool—and while the specifics of her characters story arc remain under wraps, “it is known that Heather will become the centerpiece of a dark mystery.”
Some more nostalgia figures are moving in.
Say hello to two new characters, played by Cary Elwes—a.k.a. Westley from The Princess Bride—and Jake Busey, who played Ace Levy in Starship Troopers. Elwes, in particular, has a pretty important role to play in Hawkins: the mayor.
Mayor Kline will be “handsome, slick, and sleazy.” In other words, “Your classic 80s politician—more concerned with his own image than with the people of the small town he governs.”
Meanwhile, Busey will play Bruce, a reporter for The Hawkins Post. Dont expect him to be a Spotlight-inspired hero, however: hes apparently got “questionable morals and a sick sense of humor.”
This seasons inspirations are . . . eclectic.
While this seasons roots are still extremely 80s, theres at least one curveball in the mix of references cited so far. Back to the Future might not be such a surprise, but David Harbour also cited the Chevy Chase film Fletch as inspiration for Stranger Things 3. Given that the movie is all about a journalist on a lurid mission, were guessing that allusion might inspire some part of Buseys story line.
The kids ships are strong—for now.
Last season ended with Mike and Eleven together, as well as Lucas and Max. But this is young love—and so it might be unwise to expect it to last. “Theyre like 13- or 14-year-old kids, so what does romance mean at that stage of life?” occasional director Shawn Levy said in March. “It can never be simple and stable relationships, and theres fun to that instability.”
The episode titles are pretty cryptic.
The good news here is that we know the eight episode titles for this season. The bad news? The amount of information we can glean from the titles— “Suzie, Do You Copy?,” “The Mall Rats,” “The Case of the Missing Lifeguard,” “The Sauna Test,” “The Source,” “The Birthday,” “The Bite,” and “The Battle of Starcourt”—is pretty limited.
Get ready for more Erika.
Priah Ferguson, who had a delightful turn last season as Lukes little sister Erika, has been promoted to series regular—and it looks like she and her “army of friends” are going to be a force to be reckoned with: “No longer content with sitting on the sidelines,” the girls will find themselves “on a wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous and unexpected new threat.” While its a pity this new mission will likely impede on Erikas expert mockery of her older brother, it will be exciting to see what sorts of adventures she and her friends discover.
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Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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