It’s been awhile since I’ve come across a television series that has been as universally embraced as Netflix’s STRANGER THINGS. From what I’ve seen, the science-fiction, GOONIES meets MONSTER SQUAD-ish suburban horror adventure has done wonders in terms of bringing families together – as evidenced by an onslaught of social media posts I’ve read in my online travels. I think it’s really cool to have a program that has managed to bridge the entertainment age gap as much as this show has.
Parents of the 80s and 90s cling to it not only because of its stellar quality, but because it harkins back to simpler times, when D&D was king, and a decent walkie-talkie signal was just as valuable as getting great cell service. Then, you’ve got the younger generations, who’re more than willing to welcome Eleven and her friends in with open arms, as the group can easily be accepted as something close to superheroes in their own right. It’s a fascinating combination for sure, and we’re about to learn a lot more about what’s to come from this ambitious series.
Today, Entertainment Weekly has unveiled the cover for their latest print issue, which features the cast of STRANGER THINGS in addition to showing off some new photos from the upcoming second season. Then, if you were to venture even further into the article content of said magazine, you’d find a series of details that help give us a better idea as to what we can expect when the show makes its triumphant return later this year.
It’s a bit of a laundry list, so let’s just go through it piece by piece, shall we?
In regard to Will Byer’s visions of the Upside Down, co-creator Matt Duffer offered this bit of information:
He seems to be seeing images from the Upside Down—the question is whether they’re real or not, so it seems like he’s having some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Additionally, the article also reveals that Winona Ryder’s Joyce will become romantically involved with an old high school classmate named Bob, as played by Sean Astin. Furthermore, a brother-sister duo named Billy and Max (portrayed by Dacre Montgomery and Sadie Sink) will arrive on the scene to cause trouble for our group of courageous kids. In short, Billy will act as something of an antagonist to the boys while Max makes Lucas and Dustin’s hearts go pitter-pat.
And of course, Police Chief Jim Hopper will be busy trying to keep the events of the first season under wraps. In the article, David Harbour had this to say about Chief Hopper’s awkward Season 2 position:
It kind of falls on Hopper to be the voice of authority to say, ‘This did happen and this didn’t happen. He’s struggling with the compromise that takes him to, having to lie and cover things up.
Lastly, there’s also the subject of Paul Reiser’s Doctor Owens to contend with. He’s got his very own specimen from the Upside Down, now, and we’ve no clue as to what he plans to do with it.
Season 2 of STRANGER THINGS is set for a Halloween 2017 release! The show will star Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Cara Buono, Charlie Heaton, and Matthew Modine, in addition to new cast members Sean Astin, Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, Brett Gerlman, Linnea Berthelsen, and Paul Reiser.
So what do you all think? Are you ready for more STRANGER THINGS when the show returns later this year? Let us know your thoughts and theories about the continuation of this exciting show in the comments section below!