Stranger Things has worn its influences on its sleeve since it debuted in 2016. And while the Duffer brothers have clearly drawn upon Steven Spielberg films and ’80s horror flicks, one of Stranger Things‘ primary stars has indicated that the Chevy Chase comedy, Fletch, will be a major inspiration for Stranger Things 3. Via Variety, David Harbour said “the Duffers are so specific each year with the movies. And Fletch is one movie we get to play around and have some fun with this season.” He added that “you wouldn’t expect [that] from Stranger Things and you wouldn’t expect from the Spielberg universe and you certainly wouldn’t expect from a darker season.” On the surface, Fletch does seem like an odd choice because it seems so far outside of Stranger Things‘ wheelhouse. In the film, Chase played an investigative journalist named Irwin M. “Fletch” Fletcher, and his talents for disguise played into the film’s broad comedy.
Variety speculates that Jake Busey’s new character may be the Fletch analog for Stranger Things 3. Busey is portraying Bruce, a journalist of questionable morals who writes for The Hawkins Post. It’s not a bad guess, but we think it’s more likely to be used with the core group of kids. Going around in disguise sounds more like a Dustin thing, and he could very well be influenced by Fletch within the story itself. Although we highly doubt that Dustin or any of the Hawkins kids would have Fletch’s level of success with their deceptions.
While Harbour didn’t elaborate on that point, he did tease a new direction for Sheriff Hopper and his surrogate daughter, Eleven.“Their relationship is going to get far more complex, because, you know, things happen to girls and boys when they’re 13 and 14,” noted Harbour. “A lot of changes go on in the body and in your social life, and I don’t think he’s going to handle watching her become a woman in front of his eyes very well. That’s a horrifying thing for him — maybe even more so than fighting inter-dimensional monsters.”
Stranger Things 3 will premiere in summer 2019. Are you intrigued by the potential influence of Fletch? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Netflix/Universal Pictures
