‘Stranger Things 4’ Updates: The Latest On Filming, The 8 New Cast Members & More

‘Stranger Things’ season 4 is officially in the works after a slight delay. From new cast members to the status of filming, these are the key updates you need to know about.

Honestly, the year 2020 has made us all feel like we’re in the Upside Down. Stranger Things season 4 faced a delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the show’s cast and crew are now hard at work on the new season.

In season 4, the Stranger Things kids will be crossing paths with all-new characters. Netflix has announced a whopping 8 new cast members. With season 4 filming now, what does this mean for the premiere date? HollywoodLife is breaking down what we know so far.

Filming

Season 4 started filming in Atlanta, Georgia, in Feb. 2020. Production was shut down two weeks later in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 7 months of delay, season 4 filming resumed in Oct. 2020. The official Stranger Things Twitter account posted a photo from set on Oct. 1. “Today in Hawkins…” the tweet read.

Today in Hawkins… pic.twitter.com/WU1I4p5cZK

— Netflix (@netflix) October 1, 2020

Atlanta wasn’t the only place the show filmed. Scenes in Vilnius, Lithuania, were filmed prior to production starting up in Atlanta back in February. Those scenes likely featured David Harbour’s Hopper, who is now being held prisoner in Russia.

New Cast Members

The Netflix series announced a number of new cast members on their Twitter account on Nov. 20. Those joining include Robert Englund who will play Victor Creel, a disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the 1950s. Robert is best known for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films.

Jamie Campbell Bower will play Peter Ballard, a caring man who works as an orderly at a psychiatric hospital. Eduardo Franco will star as Argyle, Jonathan’s new BFF who is also a fun-loving stoner who proudly delivers delicious pizza pies for Surfer Boy Pizza. Joseph Quinn is Eddie Munson, the head of the Hawkins High official D&D Club, The Hellfire Club.

Mason Dye is Jason Carver, a handsome, rich athlete who is dating the most popular girl in school, However, as a new evil threatens Hawkins, his perfect world begins to unravel. Sherman Augustus will star as Lt. Colonel Sullivan, an intelligent, no-nonsense man who believes he knows how to stop the evil in Hawkins once and for all.

Nikola Djuricko will play Yuri, a seedy and unpredictable Russian smuggler who loves bad jokes, cold hard cash, and crunchy style peanut butter. Tom Wlaschiha will play Dmitri, a smart and charming Russian prison guard.

Levon Thurman-Hawke, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s second child together, was spotted on set back in Oct. 2020. His character has not been revealed, but he was giving off a major punk rock vibe in the set photos.

Who’s Coming Back?

In addition to David, all of your Hawkins faves will be back: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Winona Ryder, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, and Cara Buono.

Don’t expect Dacre Montgomery’s Billy to be back unless it’s a flashback. Billy came through for the crew when they needed him the most, and he died saving Eleven and the rest from the Mind Flayer.

Premiere Date

Netflix has not announced an official premiere date for season 4 yet. However, given that they are still filming, the wait is going to be a long one.

There was nearly a two-year wait between seasons 2 and 3. The show may have been following that timeline initially, which would have put season 4 around the summer of 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic delay, it’s likely the show won’t premiere a new season until 2022.

how it started how it's going pic.twitter.com/ylNmU2sGRu

— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 6, 2020

But here’s what we do know about the first episode of season 4: it’s titled “The Hellfire Club.” Bring it on.

What About Season 5?

Rest assured, season 4 won’t be the last if the Duffer Brothers have anything to do with it. “Season 4 won’t be the end [of Stranger Things]. We know what the end is, and we know when it is,” co-creator Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter. “[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.”