‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Is Happening – Here’s What’s New

Almost as soon as Netflix released the premiere season of Stranger Things, a second season seemed inevitable, yet the streaming service kept the sudden and devoted fanbase sitting on pins and needles in anticipation of the official word. Now that Season 2 of Stranger Things has been confirmed, creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer can move forward with their plans to continue with the story they introduced in the first season. While much of what they plan is going to be kept under wraps until the release of Season 2, there has been a release of some information, including new cast members and David Harbour’s promise of more magic and soul.

Stranger Things To Introduce New Faces

As the Season 2 renewal became known, Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy told The Hollywood Reporter that the series would be introducing a trio of new characters, but added that the new faces wouldn’t take away from the story arc introduced in the first eight episodes. He said the new characters, named Max, Roman, and Billy, would be multi-generational, just as the primary cast has been in Season 1.

“There’s definitely a handful of really compelling new characters this season, but absolutely servicing the core group first and foremost,” said the Stranger Things boss. “Like the show itself, it’s multi-generational new characters and really, really intriguing ones.”

Each of the new additions has the potential of becoming a series regular, so these won’t be anything like Shannon Purser’s short-lived guest role as the much lamented Barb from Season 1 of Stranger Things.

Max is a hard-nosed 13-year-old tomboy, who is secretive about her past and particularly about the troubled history she shared with her stepbrother. She’s also an adept skateboarder, which may come in handy with those bicycle chases.

Billy is 17 years old and the typical muscle-bound jock, though he also has some secrets in his past. Rumors that he was responsible for a death at his previous high school have followed him to Hawkins. Billy sounds like the bully Stranger Things fans might expect. He makes a habit of stealing other people’s girlfriends, suggesting Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) better keep his eye on Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and he’s an experienced drinker. Even at his young age, Billy has shown a propensity for violence, particularly towards those close to his age and younger.

The Stranger Things profile for the character of Roman is still open with regard to gender and ethnicity, but the estimated age of the character is between 30 and 38. The character grew up homeless, raised by a drug-addicted mother. Also harboring a secret past, Roman experienced an unspecified loss that has sent him or her on a quest for vengeance.

David Harbour On The Magic And Soul Of Stranger Things

On speaking of the attraction people feel for the Stranger Things story, David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, tells Time magazine that the show manages to recapture the magic and soul of films of a bygone era. He feels the influx of blatant commercialism has cheapened the film-going experience, but says Stranger Things brings back child-like wonder with its compelling story and intriguing characters. He also feels that, in the midst of a time where public shootings and acts of terrorism have become the norm, Stranger Things tells the uncomplicated story of people trying to do the right thing.

“I do feel there’s a pure voice, and it’s a beautiful story of hope and redemption and people living simply doing heroic things,” says the Stranger Things actor. “That pure entertainment value will take your mind off of it and can open people up to empathy, which is a good thing to have in the world right now.”

Following Season 1 of Stranger Things, the real Department of Energy took great offense to the way in which the agency was portrayed in the series, issuing a statement that they only do good. Harbour finds the reaction of the agency a good cause for laughter and suggests he’ll be taking them on again, when Season 2 of Stranger Things picks up.

As many fans have already predicted, the relationship between Hopper and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is just beginning to form, and the two may bond on a deeper level as Stranger Things continues. A part of that, suggests Harbour, will come from more exposition on Hopper’s experience with losing his daughter to cancer. The Stranger Things star says his character shoulders the burden of his daughter’s death, which, in some ways, helps him to relate to Eleven, particularly following the revelation that she is the monster.

“There may be something about him that is literally toxic, and he feels that he infects things, which is interesting in terms of Eleven, and her being the monster,” says Stranger Things‘ David Harbour. “There is something with Hopper and his presence f–king things up and more complexities to where that cancer comes from, which we’re going to get into in Season 2.”

[Image by Netflix]