October 27th, 2017 is about the closest approximation to a bottleneck one can find in the entertainment industry.
From Assassin’s Creed: Origins to Super Mario Odyssey, Jigsaw to Stranger Things season 2, there’s a metric ton of content vying for your attention. But in honor of the latter premiering via Netflix, Collider caught up with series producer and frequent director Shawn Levy, along with his 21 Laps cohort Dan Cohen, to discuss what lies in store for Mike, Eleven and the rest of the gang.
Not only that, but Levy also touched base on the heightened expectations going into Stranger Things season 2, which is seemingly more “cinematic” and “darker” than its predecessor. That’s something that was mentioned in Monday’s critical consensus, when many outlets championed Things‘ return as a worthy sequel – even if it takes a little while to get going.
But delivering a fitting follow-up to one of 2016’s greatest hits was no mean feat, and Levy took time to address the budget, which was seemingly 20 percent higher per episode than season 1.
It’s a bit of the same conversation. We went in – there was a big meeting with Netflix – and we laid out our plan the vision for season 2 and it was clearly, from the get-go, way more ambitious. Much more cinematic, darker, more visual effects…so it was clear we were going to need more money. And we were just honest about it…it’s probably a 20 percent increase [in budget] over season 1.
And if you’ve been keeping track of the official Stranger Things Twitter feed, you’ll have noticed a series of retro-inspired posters featuring some of the show’s key players. Well, Collider has pulled them all together to make one handy, nostalgia-tinged gallery, which you can find above. From Firestarter to Tremors, let’s just say we wouldn’t like to challenge the creative minds at Netflix to an ’80s-themed pub quiz.
The second season of Stranger Things is now available to stream on Netflix (hallelujah!) and from what we understand, the Duffer Brothers have mapped out a four-to-five season storyline for the folks of Hawkins, Indiana.
