Stranger Things 3: Everything you need to know

New characters and cast members, plot developments, the Stranger Things 3 release date and what you need to know about Stranger Things 3.

Stranger Things fans are getting antsy to find out more information about the new season of the series. To help, we compiled what you need to know about Stranger Things 3 in one place. From plot developments to new characters to the projected release date of the third season, we’ve got it all!

As more Stranger Things 3 news is announced, we will update this roundup with all the latest information about the new season of the Netflix original series.

Plot

We don’t know much of what will happen in Stranger Things 3 yet, and that’s a good thing. Shawn Levy, producer and director of Stranger Things, did give a few plot details in an interview with Glamour. Levy said the Hawkins heroes will face a new evil in Stranger Things 3. That means the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer might not be the main antagonist to Hawkins’ eccentric crew.

In the report, Levy also mentioned Will catches a break in the third season and will not be tortured like he was in the first two seasons. We don’t know exactly what that means, but it looks like someone else might be in for it.

The second season of Stranger Things featured a time jump forward about one year from the events of the first season. We’re expecting another jump in Stranger Things 3. Time jumps can be tricky, but we have full faith in the Duffer Brothers and the Stranger Things creative team to make it happen the right way!

Stranger Things 3 begins in the summer of 1985.

We’re also expecting the plot to revolve, somewhat, around Dustin and Steve’s new brotherly relationship and bond. Because of the time jump, we expect their relationship to have changed since the last time we saw them together in the car at the Snow Ball.

Episode Count

The first two seasons of Stranger Things consisted of eight and nine episodes, respectively. Earlier this year, we learned the official episode count had not been set, but the Duffer Brothers and writers were looking at eight or nine episodes in the new season.

A few weeks later, it was announced Stranger Things 3 would consist of eight episodes.

Overall, I think the shorter episode count works really well for Stranger Things. The series is paced excellently, and there’s never a dull moment.

Netflix also shared the episode titles for Stranger Things 3: 

• Episode 1 – “Suzie, Do You Copy?”
• Episode 2 – “The Mall Rats”
• Episode 3 – “The Case of The Missing Lifeguard”
• Episode 4 – “The Sauna Test”
• Episode 5 – “The Source”
• Episode 6 – “The Birthday”
• Episode 7 – “The Bite”
• Episode 8 – “The Battle of Starcourt”

Release Date

Netflix officially announced Stranger Things 3 would be released on July 4, 2019. The streaming network shared a teaser trailer on New Year’s Day.

Stranger Things 3 started production in April, which likely pushes back the new season to 2019. Star David Harbour confirmed as much to Variety earlier this year. Production lasted through November 2018.

Poster 

In addition to the release date announcement, Netflix also shared the new poster for Stranger Things 3.

New Cast Members

We’re expecting several actors and actresses to join the cast for Stranger Things 3. Netflix has only announced one new cast member so far. Maya Thurman-Hawke joins the series, and she’ll play Robin, a weird girl who bites off a little too much more than she can chew in Hawkins.

That’s all we know about Robin, but we’re expecting to learn more about her character and other new characters and cast members soon.

Cary Elwes and Jake Busey also joined the cast of Stranger Things 3. 

New Characters

In addition to Thurman-Hawke’s character Robin, we also heard Stranger Things 3 adding new characters, but those roles have not been cast yet. According to a report from That Hashtag Show, there are at least four new characters joining the series for the new season, including Robin.

The new characters include Bruce, a an awful reporter, Larry Kline, the mayor of Hawkins, and Patrica Brown, an older, grandmother-type woman who lives in Hawkins. As mentioned, we’re still waiting to hear who has been cast in these roles.

The new characters clearly reveal Stranger Things 3 is going a little bigger in scope this year with the mayor of Hawkins and another reporter.

Returning Characters

We haven’t heard if everybody that lived through the events of Stranger Things 2 will be back for Stranger Things 3, but we have heard about a few characters.

Charlie Heaton, who stars as Jonathan Byers in the series, will be back for Stranger Things 3. After Heaton was denied entry to the United States for the Stranger Things 2 premiere for alleged drug possession at LAX, Heaton cleared things up with immigration officials and will be allowed to return to the US to film the new season.

Priah Ferguson, who played Erica Sinclair, Lucas’s little sister in Stranger Things 2, returns for the new season with a much bigger role. Ferguson has been upped to a recurring role in the new season, and according to reports, her character and her “army of friends” try to save Hawkins from a “new threat.”

Obviously, with that, we assume the rest of the Hawkins crew with Eleven (now Jane), Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Steve, Billy, Nancy and Chief Hopper and Joyce will be back for Stranger Things 3.

Stay tuned for more information about the new season of one of the best TV shows on Netflix! We will update this list as more Stranger Things 3 news is announced.