Season three of Stranger Things was the summeriest of summer television shows; the visual equivalent of reading a dog-eared Stephen King novel by a sun-warmed pool.
Our third journey to Hawkins was filled with ice-cream sundaes and funfairs, camp romances and holiday jobs. There was even an unscrupulous mayor intent on driving up summer morale at any cost, a la Larry Vaughn from Jaws.
However, it looks like season four could leave us ditching the tees and swimwear for all the retro knitwear the Starcourt Mall has to offer.
Yep. We won’t be getting our Stranger Things fix next summer, and probably won’t until the gang have picked out their – no doubt glorious – Halloween costumes.
According to a report from TV Line:
We can confirm that season four is slated to begin shooting in January and will likely wrap in August, which essentially rules out the possibility of the series returning this summer.
It would certainly be a tight squeeze to get the show ready for this time next year. So we could well be enjoying Christmas in Hawkins next year, complete with nostalgic movie references and maybe even the return of Joyce’s famously dodgy fairy lights.
According to TV Line, the fourth season – like seasons one and two – will consist of eight episodes, paired down slightly from season three’s nine ‘chapters’.
In terms of where the narrative will take us, there have been a few hints. The Stranger Things Twitter account currently bears the bio, ‘it’s Will season’, complete with a little wizard emoji.
Will – who felt a bit left behind by his lovelorn mates last season – is also featured as the Twitter account’s profile pic, suggesting he will play a more central role in the upcoming action. Or maybe someone will just (please) finally play Dungeons & Dragons with him.
Will was seen leaving Hawkins during the tear-jerking final scenes of season three, accompanied by Joyce, Jonathan and Eleven. However, it’s clear he will remain as integral as ever within the gang of plucky demogorgon busters, if not more so.
Season four theories began to creep out from the Upside Down on September 29, after the Stranger Things Twitter team tweeted a clock and an upside-down face.
The upside-down face was – of course – a nod to the eerie world of the Upside Down, while the clock emoji has been interpreted in various ways.
Some believe it to symbolise an impatient countdown to the next instalment, while others reckon it points towards the concept of time – and perhaps even time travel – being an important theme within the next season. Looks like only time will tell…
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.