'Stranger Things' Season 3: Release date, cast, plot and everything you need to know about the Netflix show
'Stranger Things' is one of the rare shows which has not only kickstarted a whole new fandom of its own, but now, comic books are being created in order to explore the universe of the Upside Down. With the Duffer Brothers created-show set to return for a season 3 on Netflix, here's what you need to know:
Release Date
Vice President of Original Content, Cindy Holland, earlier told Vanity Fair, "It’s a hand-crafted show." She also added the writers and directors "have worked really hard, and they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so, they really want to take the time to get it right. I think it’s gonna be a fantastic season; it’s gonna be worth the wait."
Well, as it turns out, 'Stranger Things' is all set to drop on Netflix, Independence Day, July 4 and we can expect something big to happen on this date.
Back in July 2017 the show released a fun teaser which seemed like a promotional advertisement about a new and upcoming shopping mall, Starcourt, in Hawkins. We are introduced to the mall as Hawkins' first premium shopping center featuring many trendy shopping facilities, where families, friends and teenagers can come together to hang out, shop, dine and enjoy. As the trailer shows us the multiple shopping destinations inside the mall, we get a glimpse of Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke) pose as workers behind the ice-cream counter, Scoops Ahoy.
The mall is expected to hold a significant place in the plotline of season 3. Actor David Harbor, who plays Jim Hopper on the show, the sullen cop who is not quite happy Hawkins is building a mall, mentioned: "I don’t know if Hopper would be caught dead at Scoops Ahoy...Clearly, he’s a dude who’s stuck in the late ’70s and he’s an old school guy, so I don’t think he likes to see the world change. But there are certain things you need to get in Hawkins that you can’t get at Melvald’s General Store.” Fans have also come up with their own theories of the mall where some have suggested that this might act as Eleven's next portal into the Upside Down world.
Cast
Well, the best part is that all the lit kids are set to return, this includes Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven, Finn Wolfhard’s Mike, Winona Ryder’s Joyce, Noah Schnapp’s Will, Caleb Mclaughlin’s Lucas, Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin, Natalia Dyer’s Nancy, Charlie Heaton’s Jonathan and fan-favorite Joe Keery (Steve).
Also, the two new kids in town Max (Sadie Sink) and Billy (Dacre Montgomery) will return, but unfortunately good old Sean Astin’s Bob will not be returning. However, all's good because we will get to see Maya Thurman Hawke (BBC's 'Little Women') joining the cast as new character, Robin, who uncovers a "dark secret" in Hawkins.
Hawke is 19-year-old, and considering we already saw her working with Steve at the mall it can be assumed she will be a part of the elder peer group which also includes Nancy and Jonathan. Season 2 saw the end of Nancy and Jonathan's relationship, which again might indicate that probably it's time for Steve to move on, possibly with Robin.
Hawke isn't the only fresh face, however, as the cast will also be joined by Jake Busey and Cary Elwes who respectively will play the characters Bruce and Mayor Kline, and Francesca Reale will feature as Heather, a lifeguard at the community pool who becomes the focal point of a “dark secret”. Also, we might just see Priah Ferguson take center stage as Lucas' sister, Erica, who literally is the smartest kid on the show, and embarks on a “wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous and unexpected new threat”.
David Harbour, who plays Chief of Police, Jim Hopper in the show spoke of how the team worked relentlessly over the past year and a half to dish out what could be another successful season.
"Season 1 came out July 15th of 2016," notes Harbour of the show's oft-maligned production timeline. "And then the next season comes out October 27th of 2017. So that's what? Like a year and a half. And now Season 3 is coming out in July again. It's basically the same amount of time!"
Story
Season 2 left us on a happy note, where Eleven, after denying an alliance with Kali (a.k.a Eight), returned to Hawkins, and finally reunited with her old love, Mike. However, things took an eerie turn in the end scene when the same monster, who has been haunting the kids since the last two seasons, lands on the roof of the school building, in the parallel dimension.
As the season is set in the year 1985, Ross Duffer mentioned: "It’s really the final summer of their childhood. They’re dealing with growing up with these complicated new relationships. They’re starting to fall apart a little bit, and maybe they don’t love playing Dungeons and Dragons as much as they used to. Naturally, that’s going to generate conflict.”
Although there will be new forces at play this time, the Duffer brothers have still suggested the monster will play a big part in the third season. "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,” Ross told The Hollywood Reporter. “It had not encountered her and her powers until that final episode. Now, it knows that she’s out there. We wanted to end on a little bit of an ominous note.” However, season 3 will perhaps be the season for Noah and Steve, as Matt Duffer said, "I feel like we really put Will through the wringer, and maybe now we’re going to give him a break, at least.”
Executive Producer Shawn Levy also mentioned: "We’ll definitely get to see some more of Steve Harrington in season three, and I’ll just say we won’t be abandoning the Dad Steve magic. I don’t want to say much more, but I literally feel that we were walking along and we stumbled onto a gold mine with Dad Steve.”
'Stranger Things' season 3 will arrive on Netflix July 4.
News
Closer to the release of 'Stranger Things' season 3, the show's official Twitteraccount gave us a glimpse of Cary Lewis' Mayor Kline inviting the audience to the Hawkins Fourth of July carnival.
The 30-second teaser is a fuzzy ad with the '80s feel to it and shows the fun activities that are part of the carnival. The teaser includes glimpses of the Wheeler family on the Ferris wheel, as well as an ominous glimpse of the Gravitron, a stomach-churning carnival staple.
While the series is all set to premiere on Netflix on July 4, The dimension in the show, The Upside Down has become part of the Fortnite game series. On July 3, orange portals, much akin to the ones in the show started opening up in Fortnite's Mega Mall. Walking into a portal will teleport the player to whichever portal it’s connected to elsewhere in the mall.