Meanwhile, Russia-based Hopper (David Harbour) hunts an unseen villain. Could that be Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the star of our nightmares since Volume 1 concluded? Star Joseph Quinn recently told The Guardian, “All the seeds that have been planted bear fruit and it’s just carnage. You know the finale is two and a half hours, right? Ending with this monster, feature-length episode is so bold.” The Duffer Brothers crafted “Stranger Things 4” with a running time more than double that of any previous season, with episodes well over the one-hour mark. The two-part Season 4 took two years to film with nearly 800 pages of scripts.
“‘Stranger Things 4’ was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” the co-creators said. “Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you.” And Season 4 looked back to the Duffer Brothers’ favorite franchises to gain inspiration. “If we look back at our favorite movie sequels — whether it’s ‘Aliens’ or ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day,’ or ‘The Godfather: Part II,’ or ‘The Empire Strikes Back’— the greatest movie sequels always do change it up. The tone feels different,” Ross Duffer told Queue. “So that’s what we’ve been trying to do each season to challenge ourselves and give everyone something new to try.” Matt Duffer added, “That’s important to make sure we don’t get bored, and the cast doesn’t get bored.” “Stranger Things 4” cast includes returning stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, and Natalia Dyer, alongside new guest star Robert Englund (of “Nightmare on Elm Street” fame). Additional cast members are Sadie Sink as Max, Natalia Dyer as Nancy, Cara Buono as her mom Karen, Priah Ferguson as Lucas’ little sister, Erica, and Maya Hawke as Robin, who is still working alongside Joe Keery’s Steve, this time in Hawkins’ local video store. Brett Gelman’s conspiracy theorist Murray also returns to help Joyce Byers (Ryder) decode the mystery of Hopper’s whereabouts. Season 4 brings new cast members as well, including Quinn as metalhead Eddie Munson, the greatest dungeon master at Hawkins High, and Eduardo Franco’s Argyle, a laid-back California stoner who becomes Jonathan’s best West Coast pal. IndieWire’s Ben Travers wrote in his review of “Stranger Things 4, Volume 1” that the series is tailor-made for “Netflix’s blockbuster era” of streaming. The series “puts all its chips on spectacle, Easter eggs, and fairly predictable twists,” Travers penned. “Season 4 feels like it’s been designed to produce good data rather than quality entertainment. The algorithm once heralded for so much of Netflix’s success and derided for ignoring the human factor certainly feels present here, as any remaining strangeness gets usurped by formula.”
“Stranger Things 4, Volume 2” premieres July 1 on Netflix. Check out the full trailer below.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.