Sean Astin is a Stranger Things love interest

Last Updated on July 21, 2021

So Mikey from THE GOONIES is dating Lydia from BEETLEJUICE? That's not a pairing I ever imagined when watching those movies, but according to actor David Habour that's exactly what we'll be seeing when the second season of Netflix's hit series / pop culture sensation Stranger Things is released through the streaming service later this year.

Sean Astin (pictured above), who played Mikey in THE GOONIES, has joined the cast of Stranger Things season 2, and during a Q&A panel on board the Fan2Sea Comic Con cruise Harbour – who plays Chief of Police Jim Hopper (a name lifted from PREDATOR) on the series – revealed that Astin's character isn't just a guy who went to school with Hopper and single mother Joyce Byers (played by BEETLEJUICE's Winona Ryder), as has been previously reported, but that his character is

Winona’s new boyfriend — much to the chagrin to the Chief of Police."

Harbour went on to offer some minor details on the plot of the season, and discussed whether or not the "Justice for Barb" fan movement has had an effect on the story:

It’s a year later in the story, so there are several things that happened last year — like Will has come back — there are certain people in the town that know what happened, and then certain people that don’t know what happened. So there’s a lot of fall out with who knows what.

… The question and the feelings that Nancy has that no one ever cares about her friend Barb are very much present in the beginning of the season."

There isn't a whole lot given away in Harbour's quotes, but my anticipation level for this new season is so high that I'll grasp on to any tidbit that's offered up.

Astin, Ryder, and Harbour are joined in the cast of season 2 by Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer, Dacre Montgomery, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Brett Gelman, Paul Reiser, and Linnea Berthelsen.