It’s now nearly three years since the last season of Stranger Things beamed onto Netflix – delivering the biggest season yet of the throwback sci-fi adventure series. And that finale teased major revelations (SPOILER WARNING!): the death and apparent rebirth of Jim Hopper, the Byers family leaving the town of Hawkins, and an uncertain future for Eleven and Mike. The good news is, we now know exactly when the much-anticipated Stranger Things 4 will be coming to Netflix. The bad news is, you won’t be able to binge the whole thing at once.
In a letter written by series creators the Duffer Brothers, it’s been confirmed that the super-sized Season 4 will be arriving in two parts – the first dropping on 27 May, and the second arriving on 1 July. “With nine scripts, over eight-hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” they wrote. “Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Given the unprecedented length, and to get it to you as soon as possible, Season 4 will be released in two volumes.”
We now also have an official synopsis for the season: “It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”
Who’s ready to return to Hawkins, then? And, for this season with our characters scattered to the wind, ready to find out what’s happening in California? We’ll (begin to) find out in May.