The Duffer brothers know when their Netflix series Stranger Things will come to an end, and it's due in part to the foresight provided to them by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"Season four won't be the end," said Ross Duffer in an interview with THR. "We know what the end is, and we know when it is. [The pandemic] has given us time to look ahead, figure out what is best for the show. Starting to fill that out gave us a better idea of how long we need to tell that story."
The Duffer brothers were filming when the pandemic halted their production of Season 4, but they haven’t been idle. They posted a photo of nine complete scripts on their Twitter, which could be an indicator that the upcoming season will have nine episodes, one more than Season 3.
Season 3 of Stranger Things ended with the Mike, Dustin, Lucas, El, Will and a party of others saving their town from the newest iteration of the dreaded Mind Flayer. As they were closing the gates to the Upside Down, the lovable grump Sheriff Jim Hopper was trapped behind one and seemingly died. A Season 4 teaser later revealed that he was alive and captured by the Russians.
The status quo has been shuffled for Season 4, as El has moved away with Will Byers and his family, and everyone believes that Hopper is dead. Undoubtedly, danger and adventure will ensue but fans can at least rest easy knowing that there are more stories to come.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobbie Brown, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Priah Ferguson, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey and Maya Thurman-Hawke. The first three seasons are currently available on Netflix, and Season 4 has yet to receive a release date.