Stranger Things 2 was an epic sophomore installment into the Stranger Things franchise. It not only continued the badass world we’ve come to love in Hawkins, Indiana, but it also opened up the story far beyond our friends in Hawkins. We can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for us in Stranger Things 3, and while waiting for the new season to drop is excruciating, let’s break down everything we know about Stranger Things 3 so far. We’ll be updating this post as more news breaks, so keep an eye out! UPDATE, 8/1/18: RELEASE DATE AND TEASER TRAILER
Delayed Release Date: It has been officially confirmed that Stranger Things 3 won’t be premiering until 2019. This delayed premiere date has been rumored for some time, but Netflix’s President of Original Content Cindy Holland has finally confirmed the date, telling Vanity Fair that the delay is to make the show’s third installment bigger and better than ever. Holland explained that the Duffer brothers understand how high the stakes are for Stranger Things 3, and want to make sure they take the time to get the story right. There isn’t an official release date just yet, but it is expected to arrive in the summer of 2019.
Welcome to the Starcourt Mall: We might have to wait a bit to get our hands on Stranger Things 3, but that doesn’t mean Netflix left us entirely alone for all of 2018. A unique teaser was released for the show’s new season, teasing a huge new development for Hawkins, Indiana: a brand new mall! Check out the Hawkins’ big reveal of the illustrious Starcourt Mall, which gave us some low-key Dawn of the Dead vibes:
Who’s Back?
MORE ERICA: Unlike last season, we don’t have to wonder which of our Hawkins friends are alive or dead. So we know that next season will feature our AV Club pals Will, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Max, and Eleven. However, we also know that Lucas’ hilarious younger sister, Erica (Priah Ferguson) has been promoted to a series regular and will feature her taking a much more active role in fighting new evils threatening Hawkins. Netflix has also said that she’s bringing an “army of friends” with her to kick some Upside Down monster ass. Erica was definitely one of the best parts about Stranger Things 2, and we can’t wait to see her and her friends in action.
KALI (probably): It’s been reported that Kali, Eleven/Jane’s sister will be back for Stranger Things 3. While Eleven’s sidequest with Kalie wasn’t a huge fan favorite, it was an interesting dynamic to see how the two interacted. Of course, the two sisters ultimately ended up at odds, so if Kali does indeed return to Eleven’s life, will she be more of a partner to her sister or an enemy?
Who’s New?
CASTING DETAILS: Carey Elwes and Jake Busey will be joining the Stranger Things 3 cast. While details are still very much under wraps for both roles, we know that Elwes will be playing slick, self-serving politician and mayor of Hawkins, Larry Kline. Busey will be playing a scumbag reporter named Bruce. Details on the characters are sparse, but both sound like they’ll be causing a lot of problems for our friends in Hawkins!
Maya Hawke (daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, incidentally) will be playing Robin. Netflix tweeted out that Robin will be an “alternative girl.” According to Variety, Robin will be a young woman upset with her job, searching for excitement. However, since there happens to be quite a lot of excitement–and a hearty amount of danger–in Hawkins, she gets a lot more than she bargains for.
Maya Thurman-Hawke is headed to Hawkins as Robin, an “alternative girl”. That is her literal character description so get ready for some angst. pic.twitter.com/zbyUteq3kA
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 2, 2018
What’s the Story?
HIGH SCHOOL: We don’t know a great deal about the story so far. In fact, the Duffers have said they are intentionally promising less about Stranger Things 3 so they have a greater amount of freedom to create. However, we do know that the 8-episode Stranger Things 3 will feature the Hawkins Middle School AV Club in the scariest place they’ve ever been: high school.
LOOSE THREADS: Stranger Things 2 left several loose threads that the Duffer Brothers absolutely plan to tie in the coming episodes. One such issue is the frozen Demadog that Dustin stored in the freezer. As producer Shawn Levy put it, “eventually, someone is going to open that fridge.” Additionally, the particles that we saw leave Will when he was saved from the Mind Flayer seemed to come into our world, another issue that Levy said would need to be addressed in coming episodes. Finally, there’s also the problem of Dr. Brenner, the scientist who studied/tortured Eleven and her siblings. Levy confirmed that Brenner is still out there, so we can hopefully expect Matthew Modine to return and tie up some threads in the Brenner storyline.
LEAVING HAWKINS: Just like last season, don’t expect the episode to only take place in Hawkins. While we don’t know exactly where we’ll be traveling this season, Levy did say that Stranger Things 3 will feature more stories set outside of the besieged Hawkins. It makes sense that those adventures will focus on Kali and Eleven’s “siblings”, and will likely shed more light on the other children who were experimented on.
What do you hope to see in Stranger Things 3? What questions do you still have from last season? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
Image Credits: Netflix
