Wednesday, 24 February 2021

Stranger Things season 4: release date, trailer, cast and what we know

Stranger Things season 4 is sure to bring more unease into our lives thanks to the usual setting of both The Hellfire Club, Hawkins High's D&D Club, and the brand-new place that appears to be a psychiatric hospital of some sort. That's a classic setting for any show that's aiming to shred your nerves, but we're hoping that things can be a little more inventive than the norm here. 

While we're still waiting for a proper release date, at least we know that progress is being made on Stranger Things season 4. We also know that there are eight new cast members confirmed, including Jamie Campbell Bower, Eduardo Franco, and Robert Englund. We'll cover all of that below, of course. 

While we're still hoping to see Stranger Things season 4 this year, it becomes a little harder to hold on to as time goes on, but we still believe we could see it in the coming months. Production started all the way back in March 2020, but the pandemic intervened, and it meant that there was still filming going on even as late as October. Things could still be being filmed now too. 

While we're keeping an eye on everything we can to find out more information on Stranger Things season 4, we've got everything we know so far down below. Spoilers for everything in the show up until this point, of course. 

Stranger Things season 4 release date

The Stranger Things season 4 release date hasn't been revealed yet. Netflix tends to angle its release date around public holidays such as Halloween for season 2, or the 4th of July for season 3 – depending on the time of year within Stranger Things itself. 

If things were normal season 4 may have been ready for early 2021: a report from What's on Netflix suggests that filming would have likely finished in August before post-production was due to start.

But in reality, while the script was completed a while back, production began in March 2020, and was quickly at a standstill due to the coronavirus. Now, as of October 2020, filming has finally resumed. Netflix confirmed this on Twitter:

So a Spring season will likely be the best-case scenario – even more so if current plot threads end up leading the show's story to the Chernobyl disaster, which occurred April 26, 1986, which isn't long after the 1985 setting of Season 3. (Yes, this theory is from Reddit, but it's pretty legit, okay?) 

Speaking with Vogue, Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) mentioned that, in terms of Stranger Things season 4, "while I can't say a lot, except that it’s going to be a while before it comes out, it will definitely be worth it. It’s going to be really big."

But while season 4 won't be the final one, the Stranger Things ending is planned. "Season 4 won't be the end," Ross Duffer told THR, "We know what the end is, and we know when it is." Duffer also went on to explain how the pandemic has given the team extra time to map out the show's conclusion and finish the script. But, in other words, Stranger Things season 5 is almost definitely happening. 

Of course, we'll need Season 4 to stop filming first, and it appears to still be going on if this picture of Peter Ballard (played by Jamie Campbell Bower) from Instagram is anything to go by: 

A post shared by Stranger Things Filming (@strangerthingsfilming)

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Stranger Things season 4 trailer: Hopper is alive!

There is one Stranger Things season 4 trailer so far, and you can watch it above. It's just a teaser, but it's our only glimpse of the next season right now.

At the end of Stranger Things season 3, when Russian soldiers said "the American" should not be the victim fed to a captive Demogorgon in a mid-credits teaser, fans knew who they were referring to. It could only be one man: Jim Hopper (David Harbour). This trailer confirmed that theory. 

Along with the Stranger Things season 4 trailer above, which sheds light on where Hopper ended up after the ending of the last season, show creators the Duffer brothers issued a statement on what's happened to the character back in February 2020.

The Duffer brothers said they were "excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things 4 is now underway – and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper!" 

"Although it’s not all good news for our 'American'; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human...and other. Meanwhile, back in the States, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything…

"Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more. In the meantime – pray for the American." 

All indications are that season 4 is going to get even darker. Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harington, claims this season is the "scariest yet" to Total Film, and David Harbour (Hopper) said to Deadline that while his character was cheerier earlier in the show's run, his journey this season will be "painted in a bit of a darker palette."

Stranger Things Season 4 cast: who's returning?

Brett Gelman plays Murray Bauman in Stranger Things

Brett Gelman plays Murray Bauman in Stranger Things (Image credit: Netflix)

After a long time waiting without any casting news, in November 2020, Variety detailed the eight new faces we'll be seeing in Stranger Things season 4, Here they are:

  • Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd): Peter Ballard, a caring orderly at a psychiatric hospital.
  • Eduardo Franco (Booksmart): Argyle, Jonathan's new best friend. A fun-loving stoner and pizza-delivery boy.
  • Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great): Eddie Munson, audacious metalhead that runs Hawkins High's D&D society, The Hellfire Club. At the centre of this season's key mystery.
  • Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street): Victor Creel, a disturbed, intimidating man imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the '50s.
  • Tom Wlashicha (Game of Thrones): Dmitri, a Russian prison guard who befriends Hopper.
  • Sherman Augustus (Virus): Lt. Colonel Sullivan, an intelligent, no-nonsense man who believes he can stop the evil consuming Hawkins for good.
  • Mason Dye (Teen Wolf): Jason Carver, a handsome, rich sport star, whose perfect world unravels as evil spreads.
  • Nikola Djuricko (World War Z): Yuri, a Russian smuggler.

You can also be sure you'll get a lot of the same faces as season 3 – including Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Sadie Sink (Max), and Joe Keery (Steve Harrington). And, of course, Hopper (David Harbour).

Maya Hawke (Robin), a newcomer for season 3, quickly became a fan favorite – and will almost certainly be a big presence – while Caleb's younger sister Erica (played by Priah Ferguson) will likely continue to enjoy a larger role in the show.

Who won't we be seeing? Spoilers ahead (obviously), but we don't expect to see Alec Utgoff (Alexei) again, though the showrunners could always surprise us. Heck, why not bring back Barb? 

We also don't expect to see Dacre Montgomery (Billy) in the next season either. Or at least we didn't until Dacre tweeted a photo of himself dressed as Billy. Of course, he might just be reminiscing about old times on set. After all, he was very clearly dead in the last season, right? But this hasn't stopped fans from speculating Billy might return, maybe he's stuck in the Upside Down and the dead Billy we saw is a clone? Or maybe there'll be a flashback?

Will Stranger Things season 4 be in 4K / HDR?

The neon-lit shopping mall of Season 3 was a highlight of Stranger Things

The neon-lit shopping mall of Season 3 was a highlight of Stranger Things (Image credit: Netflix)

If you're interested in Stranger Things' good looks as well – as you should be – you may be wondering what video formats the next season will be filmed in.

All three seasons so far have been filmed in 4K Ultra HD resolution, meaning anyone with a 4K TV and a strong enough internet connection will be able to watch in a huge amount of detail. Seasons 2-3 are also in HDR (high dynamic range), meaning an expanded range of colors and enhanced contrast – important for a show awash with bright colors, dazzling neon, and moody skies – though again you'll need an HDR-compatible screen to make the most of it.

Netflix also uses the Dolby Vision HDR format, rather than the competing HDR10+ standard – we know this is a lot to think about with your next TV, but some only support one format over the other.

Stranger Things season 4 is one of our most anticipated Netflix series

Stranger Things has kept finding ways to reinvent itself, with new spooky threats, changes in locations, popular new characters and intriguing relationship developments over the course of the series. 

Taking Hopper to Russia should be a great jumping off point for more adventures in this fictional universe. We can't wait to watch the show again.

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