Stranger Things 4: Premiere date and possible storylines
By Bryce Olin
When is the Stranger Things 4 premiere date? What will happen in season 4 of the Netflix series? We discuss all that and more!
This fall, Netflix announced Stranger Things 4 was officially happening! Since then, we’ve learned very little about the new season, and fans are hoping to find out any information about the new season of the Netflix original series.
Below, we shared the expected release date for Stranger Things 4, along with a few storylines that could pop up in the new season.
Premiere Date
As of the latest update, it’s looking more and more likely that it will be 2021 before we see Stranger Things 4.
TV Line reported production would start in January 2020 and would last through August of next year. There’s usually a six-month gap, at least, between the end of production and the start of the next season.
If that’s the case, we should see Stranger Things 4 in the spring of 2021. I think we’ll see the new season in April 2021. Usually, that is a great month for Netflix to add new seasons of its shows.
We also haven’t seen a spring season of Stranger Things yet, and that’s right in that release window. Most of the season 4 production will take place in the spring, and except for season 1, the time of year filming takes place has been reflected in the new season.
Stranger Things 2 was filmed, primarily, in the fall, and then it was released in the fall the following year. Stranger Things 3 was filmed in the summer and released the following summer. Stranger Things 4 will, mostly, be filmed in the spring, and so the new season will likely be released the following spring.
Possible Storylines
At the end of Stranger Things 3, things were left in a fairly uncertain place. Will, Eleven, Jonathan and Joyce moved away from Hawkins. We thought Hopper was dead, and now, we’re not sure if that’s true, or what’s true.
We have a few ideas about where the new season is headed, but much remains unknown.
Will and Eleven’s New Home
The Byers left Hawkins in the third season. With them living somewhere new, it adds a ton to this series. We’re going to be meeting up with them, likely, in a whole new environment. That means a new school, new friends, new jobs, new relationships, and a different dynamic with these characters being spread out and not located in and around Hawkins.
How are things going? Are Will and Eleven fitting in? Is Joyce okay after losing two people she loved very much? Are Jonathan and Nancy still together?
These are just a few of the questions we hope are answered in the new season.
The Others
We know Will and Eleven will be away from the gang for too long! How are Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Max, Erica, Steve and Robin holding up after the events of last season?
Obviously, Max will probably be taking things a little harder than the rest of the crew after losing Billy. Lucas will, hopefully, be there to support her.
The younger part of the gang is in high school at the end of season 3. I’m expecting we’ll see how that dynamic works, as well. Were they able to stay friends? Have they met new friends? We saw there were cracks in the Party forming at the end of the last season. It will be interesting to see how they’re all dealing with those things.
Of course, we also want to know how Erica, the new nerd, is doing after her first clash with the supernatural last season. Most of all, we want to see if Steve and Robin are still friends and co-workers at the video store.
Eventually, we expect Will and Eleven to reconnect with the Party and help set things straight.
The Dark Phoenix
Based on the arc of the first season, Eleven’s similarities with Jean Grey of the X-Men, and the name of the first episode of season 4, many fans are coming around to the idea that there might be some connection between Eleven’s story and The Dark Phoenix Saga.
In the comics, Jean Grey is manipulated by Mastermind, a member of the Hellfire Club, and the Dark Phoenix, the opposite force of the great power known as the Phoenix, overtakes Jean. This is leading some to believe Eleven will flirt with the dark side in the new season.
When we last saw El, her powers weren’t working, but I think we all are expecting that to be addressed early in the season.
Rescuing The American
At the very, very end of the season, it was revealed that there is an American prisoner being held at a Russian base with the Demogorgon. Is it Hopper? I think that’s what everyone is expecting. If it is, you can guarantee the rescue mission will be underway.
How will Eleven and the Party get to Russia? Well, that remains to be scene, but it’s possible that we could be meeting a few more people with powers in the new season. Maybe there’s a teleporter on the way?
Chernobyl
Along with the rescue mission to save the American, who is hopefully Hopper, fans are expecting Stranger Things 4 may have something to do with the Chernobyl disaster, which took place in April 1986. This would be the first time Stranger Things did something to make this series seem like historical fiction rather than a sci-fi/fantasy series, but it’s definitely possible with all the Russian involvement in the series so far.
With all that said, I’m sure the Duffer Brothers and the writers have even more surprises coming for us. Let the record show that I have an awful track record (as do most people) of predicting what’s to come in this series, and that’s one of the reasons this show is so exciting. From a story perspective, it’s not very predictable, and the team does an excellent job limiting the flow of spoilers.