Stranger Things might have lost two of its male leads in the season 3 finale – though one of them will surely make a comeback – but season 4 will be adding a further four male characters into the mix, according to a new report from TV Line. The outlet’s sources are claiming that creators the Duffer brothers are gearing up to cast these fresh recurring roles.
Out of the four, three will be teenage parts. Specifically, one is a metalhead, the second an entitled jock and the third is being described as reminiscent of “stoner Jeff Spicoli” from classic 1980s movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The adult character, meanwhile, is likely to be involved with the Russian storyline, established in the season 3 post-credits scene which teased that the Soviets have other gateways to the Upside Down.
TV Line notes that production is still a few months away so things could change before then. These characters could develop away from their initial descriptions or even be cut altogether. After all, storylines and character arcs can change right the way through production, as we found out when Maya Hawke revealed that it was her own suggestion late in the day that Robin should come out as gay.
Presumably, these new teens will be either classmates of Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max at Hawkins High or will be some kids Will and Eleven encounter wherever they’re living now, after Joyce moved the Byers and the telepathic heroine away from Hawkins following Hopper’s death. Of course, ol’ Jim surely isn’t actually deceased and will return somehow in season 4. The only hitch is he’s probably locked up in a Russian bunker.
Be sure to watch this space for more news on Stranger Things 4 as and when it comes in. As potentially the final season of the show, it could end up arriving on Netflix sometime next year.