Though the next season of Netflix’s Stranger Things remains mostly shrouded in mystery, as is tradition, there’s a scrap of new information for fans to cling to as they await the series’ return. According to creators the Duffer Brothers, the show won’t wrap with its upcoming fourth season.
“Season four won’t be the end,” Ross Duffer told the Hollywood Reporter in a new interview, noting that the production delay forced by the novel coronavirus has been beneficial when it comes to story planning. “We know what the end is, and we know when it is. [The pandemic] has given us time to look ahead, figure out what is best for the show. Starting to fill that out gave us a better idea of how long we need to tell that story.”
Honestly, most of that isn’t news. In June, Matt Duffer told Deadline much the same thing, noting “We’ve known the ending of the show for quite awhile” and wisely adding “We don’t want to just keep churning it out.”
Before any talk of season five can really commence, however, the show will have to finish filming season four. Elsewhere in the Hollywood Reporter, Joe Keery (who plays Steve Harrington) said it’s “hard to say” whether the filming delay will ultimately benefit the current season. “I mean, it definitely gives them more time to write, and I think that that’s always good. I guess there’s the issue of the kids growing, but apart from that, I just think that we want to get the show out as soon as possible for people.”
Back in February, now known as the distant era before the world shut down, we did get our first Stranger Things season four teaser, revealing a not-dead Hopper’s snowy whereabouts—but as is to be expected, so far Netflix hasn’t shared a firm release date.