It’s officially official:Stranger Things 3filming is underway. We here at Colliderbroke the news last weekthat production onStranger ThingsSeason 3 was set to begin on Monday, April 23rd, and indeed now Netflix has released a video confirming the start of production, teasing the return of familiar faces, and also offering a peek at a couple of the new cast members.
You won’t get any time period or costume reveals here though, as the video was shot at the table read forStranger Things 3and thus everyone’s in regular 2018 attire. But it’s impossible to ignore just how much these kids have grown in the year since they shotStranger Things 2, and it’ll be interesting to see if there’s a more significant time jump to account for the sprouting adolescent cast members.
We also get a tiny tease ofnew Season 3 additionsJake Busey,Cary Elwes, andMaya Hawke, who will shake things up even further in Hawkins, while new Season 2 cast membersDacre MontgomeryandSadie Sinkare confirmed to be back.
The production schedule of Season 3 will mirror that of the first two seasons, as the scripts for the eight-episode season aren’t yet complete. So showrunnersThe Duffer Brotherswill be directing the first two episodes, then executive producerShawn Levywill direct episodes three and four while the Duffer Brothers work to put the finishing touches on the final scripts. I’m mighty curious to see what other directors are filling out the roster, but I imagine we’ll find out soon enough.
While the end ofStranger Thingsis finite and has been teased before, the Netflix series won’t be concluding with Season 3. There will at the very least be a Season 4, and possibly one more season after that to wrap up this self-contained story.
AStranger Things 3premiere date hasn’t yet been revealed, butStranger Things 2premiered about a year after filming began—although that season had 10 episodes instead of 8.Stranger Things 1premiered eight months after filming began, but the Duffer Brothers admitted it was a mad dash to get that season complete. So we’re probably looking at aStranger Things 3premiere date anywhere between December and April or so. We’ll probably get a firm date sometime later this year.
