What's going to happen in Stranger Things 3? Justice for Sean Astin's Bob? A spinoff starring Eight? The '90s? We imagine you devoured 2 like Taco Bell -- furiously, and in a way that left you with lots of embarrassing questions -- and now you're wondering when it's socially acceptable to go back. Understandable. We don't have all the answers, but we do have some. For the latest on Hawkins' next nightmare, consult the below compendium, which we'll update as more info becomes available.
Is there going to be a Stranger Things Season 3?
"FOR THE LOVE OF STEVE, DUH!" That's what the streaming service said a month after 2 's release, when it made things official. The quick re-up makes sense: Nielsen said that a "significant viewing event occurred" when 2 premiered at the end of October, with a reported 15.8 million Stateside viewers tuning into the first episode in the first three days (plus, the full nine-episode run averaged 4 million, and 361,000 lunatics became permanently fused to their couches as they watched the whole thing within the first 24 hours of release). The Walking Dead's most recent premiere bagged around 15 million viewers. In other words, Stranger Things is the streaming service's MVP. Netflix nixing Season 3 would have been like the Bulls dropping Michael Jordan in 1997 -- extremely dumb, basically impossible. Bank on at least a four-peat.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have (unofficially) confirmed as much. "We're thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out," Ross told Vulture last year. "Hearts were heard breaking in Netflix headquarters when the brothers made four seasons sound like an official end," executive producer Shawn Levy said later. "The truth is we're definitely going four seasons and there's very much the possibility of a fifth. Beyond that, it becomes, I think, very unlikely." Why? "I think there's going to come a point where [it's like], why aren't these people leaving Hawkins?" Ross said. "Like we're going to stretch credibility."
Stranger Things 3 will (slightly) decrease the episode count
As TVLine noted, the third installment will only have eight episodes -- a slight decrease from 2's nine, but the same as the first season's total.
When is Season 3 coming out?
There's a bit of a cautious rush on the production side, and rightfully so, as the creative team is well aware time is not on their rapidly aging cast's side. "If we could make it [return] faster, then we would," Levy told Glamour. "But we're going to make it well. We're going to do it right." With production set to begin mid-April, expect Season 3 fall 2018 or early 2019. (Chief Hopper is leaning toward the latter.)
Wait, will the Stranger Things lawsuit halt Season 3?
Unclear at the moment, but that seems highly unlikely. For context: A lawsuit filed April 2018 in Los Angeles Superior Court claims the Duffers stole the plot of Stranger Things from Charlie Kessler, a filmmaker who alleges he met the brothers at a Tribeca Film Festival after-party in 2014 and pitched them a similar story. Essentially, Kessler's asking for the end of Stranger Things or his cut of the success story; the Duffers, however, are calling the whole suit "completely meritless."
Where will Season 3 take place?
Mostly Hawkins, but don't forget about Kali, perpetually on the lam. The seventh episode of 2 was the show's way of starting drama outside Hawkins and fleshing out its world. As the brothers have already admitted, the saga would get too insane and unbelievable if it just stayed in one place forever. ("They're going to have to get the fuck out of this town!" Ross told Vulture. "It's ridiculous.") So don't be surprised if you see more side quests.
When will Season 3 take place?
Season 3 will jump ahead to summer 1985 (aka when Back to the Future came out!) -- in large part to keep up with the aging-child-actors dilemma. "We're never going to do a storyline that pretends the kids are younger than they are," Levy told Collider. Considering the characters will all be around 14 -- and the actors a little older -- we might see them getting ready to start high school.
Who's coming back?
Since the core cast is signed for six years, the better question: "Who isn't?" Sadly, you won't see much, or any, of Barb and Bob (RIP). But be prepared to see the return of pretty much everyone -- i.e., Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Max (Sadie Sink), Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour), Karen (Cara Buono), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery), and bad boy Billy (Dacre Montgomery) -- else.
Contrary to reports, the Duffer Bros. are staying
Near the end of February, a report from Moviefone suggested the Duffer Bros. would drop their showrunning duties after Season 3. Netflix promptly debunked the rumor via Twitter, writing, "Don't drop your Eggos. Rumors that the Duffer Bros are leaving Stranger Things after season 3 are false." The initial story claimed that the brothers were being courted for newer projects, and while there might be some truth to that, they'll likely stay involved with Stranger Things until it's finished. As Matt told EW last year: "There hasn’t been anything dangled in front of us that’s been exciting enough [to leave]. To abandon this show before it's done feels wrong to me."
Same with the Mind Flayer
As seen in the Season 2 finale, the Mind Flayer is still stalking Hawkins, hungry as ever. "Yeah, we don't end it on a totally happy note, do we?" Ross told THR. "The hope we wanted people to get out of it is that this thing [is still out there]. They've shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it's very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven." Also, it won't be alone. "You might assume that," Levy told Glamour, "but you would probably end up being wrong. We're [going to be] dealing with forces of evil that are new." (See ya, Demodogs.)
So expect more scares
While the creative team hasn't been able to elaborate much on 3's Mind Flayer, we do know it will be using "new strategies." That could mean more genuinely eerie moments, though nothing unwatchable. "It's very much the Stranger Things I think people know and love," Levy told EW at PaleyFest. "Season 3 has legitimately creepy moments and events, but it’s incredibly warm and character-based because at the end of the day, I think that’s what people love most about Stranger Things."
What's going to happen to Eleven?
Because of a Dungeons & Dragons theory popularized by Nerdist, some fans predict the vengeful Mind Flayer will set its sights on Eleven. The thinking: Eleven would be a stronger host than Will, so the Mind Flayer could possess her, sow chaos, and use her powers to augment its own (see: Mind Flayer Lich, Mind Flayer Arcanist). In other words, Hawkins' guardian angel could very well become its angel of death.
Will might not be totally OK
How did that smoke monster survive an entire season in the Upside Down? Schnapp, who plays Will, says he thinks the Mind Flayer still has a hold on his character. "I feel like it can't be [out of him]," he told THR. "There's this massive monster taking over all of Hawkins, and all you have to do is light a few fires and turn on a few heaters, and he's gone? It just doesn't make sense to me, really." (Same.)
But he should be able to relax (a little)
Sure, Will's still scarred by the Mind Flayer, but he's going to get a break in Season 3. "I feel like we really put Will through the wringer," Matt told THR. "We're not going to put Will through hell for a third season in a row," Levy added, in an interview with Glamour. "He'll be dealing with stuff, but he won’t be at rock bottom the way we forced the amazing Noah Schnapp to play."
Kali's coming back
Though Season 2's trip outside Hawkins became the most contentious episode by far, its focus, Kali, isn't going anywhere. "It feels weird to me that we wouldn't solve [Kali's] storyline," Matt said at Vulture Fest. "I would say chances are very high she comes back."
Love will still be in the air
The relationships -- Mike and Eleven, Max and Lucas -- you saw forming at the end of 2 will carry over to 3, according to Levy. At least for a little. "They're like 13- or 14-year-old kids, so what does romance mean at that stage of life?" he said at PaleyFest. "It can never be simple and stable relationships and there's fun to that instability."
There will also be more Steve-Dustin bromancing
Without a brother or a father figure, Dustin will keep looking for Steve to fill the void. "In Season 2, [their friendship] was all very cute and there was a funny factor to it because it was unexpected, but now that it is expected, I want to see them connect more and be more familiar with each other," Levy told Glamour. "I want them to have a connection like they’ve really had a connection for a year -- like they're brothers."
Erica will be a series regular
Yeah, Lucas' little sister (Priah Ferguson) will be back with more one-liners. (And an army of friends, to boot!) From Netflix: "No longer content with sitting on the sidelines, Erica finds herself on a wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous and unexpected new threat."
There will be a new character called Robin...
...played by Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's daughter, Maya! She's "an alternative girl who is equal parts sharp and playful. Bored with her mundane day job, she just wants a little excitement in her life... and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins."
Dr. Martin Brenner might resurface
Where the heck did this guy go? Not to the grave, per the creators. "I would say that if we were going to kill Brenner... as an audience member watching the show, if that was his death, that would be very unsatisfying to me -- when the monster jumps on him and we cut away," Matt told IGN last year. "He would deserve much more than that as an ending. So yes, there's a possibility of seeing him again."
Mike's mom is getting a bigger role
Perhaps the most intriguing post-Season 2 tease has been that of Mike's mother, Karen Wheeler. Her romantic subplot with Billy was minimized and shelved for the future, and with unhappiness brewing, the writers have said she's going to be especially vulnerable in Season 3. "We have much more story for Karen that is linked to her discontent and her dissatisfied sexuality," Levy told Glamour. "We're not done with Karen Wheeler and her failing marriage."
Another beloved character will die
With death to Barb (Season 1) and Bob (Season 2), this show is slowly becoming Netflix's version of Game of Thrones torture. Will Season 3 say goodbye to a new face? An old face? Another person whose name starts and ends with 'B'? "I don’t know [who]," Matt told Variety last year. "We have some ideas, but it’s all too early." Speculate and plan accordingly.
Stranger Things is going to Universal Studios
It's true! For Halloween Horror Nights, beginning select nights on September 14. Sure, this isn't exactly story-related -- and if you attend, you're probably not going to get a jump on any spoilers, per se -- but we thought it might be a nice way to kill the time till ST3.
Most importantly: Will Season 3 be a dog season or a cat season?
Justice for Chester.
This post has been updated throughout.
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