‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Release Date Teased, New Cast Members Announced, Spoilers Leaked

The Stranger Things Season 2 official release date hasn’t been revealed yet, but already the internet is abuzz with cast changes, leaked spoilers, and a vague possible release date. Let’s take a look at what we know for certain, and then get into some rampant speculation. Warning: Season 1 spoilers to follow.

Where We Left Off At The End Of Season 1

Stranger Things Season 1 Episode 8 ended with some loose ends tied up, but left the door open for moving the story forward. Eleven appeared to have died blowing up the Demogorgon. Will, the boy who was kidnapped by the Demogorgon and whose disappearance set the whole story in motion, is back home and safe – maybe. The last we see of Will, he coughs up a creature resembling a slug, has a brief glimpse of The Upside Down, and then goes back to dinner with his family like it was no big deal. Sheriff Hopper reluctantly got into a black car belonging to the government agency that brought forth the Demogorgon, although how long he was gone or what happened to him while he was gone isn’t clear; he’s definitely back home, as we see him bringing Eggo waffles out and putting them and other food in a box in the woods. We know that Eggo waffles are Eleven’s favorite food, and though it appeared that she died fighting the Demogorgon, clearly something of her still lives if Hooper is bringing food to “her.”

The Otherworldly History of the Demogorgon — https://t.co/BsNUbZdqNU pic.twitter.com/oCKmfJtbGd

— Mental Floss (@mental_floss) November 5, 2016

So, The Season 2 Release Date?

According to GamenGuide, Stranger Things Season 2 will debut “before the third quarter of 2017.” What that means, specifically, is anybody’s guess, but since the “third quarter” means July, August, and September, does that mean that Season 2 will begin before July? “Before the third quarter of 2017” can mean anything from a wait of a few weeks to a wait of eight months. As of this writing, fans will just have to be patient.

One thing Stranger Things fans can take comfort in, however, is this: filming has already begun. It’s actually been going on for a few days now, beginning on November 7 in Atlanta. That should come as some comfort, considering the fact that the father of Millie Bobby Brown, the actress who plays Eleven, almost derailed the second season with demands for more money, according to this Inquisitr report.

eleven is such a brave girl pic.twitter.com/Hc5D5hucZq

— Stranger Things (@STScenes) November 11, 2016

New And Returning Cast Members

All of the principal cast members from Season 1 are back for Season 2. This includes, most importantly, the kids who were the stars of the show: Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), and Noah Schnapp (Will). Similarly, the main adults are back as well, including Winona Ryder (Will’s mom, Joyce) and David Harbour (Sheriff Jim Hopper).

Also, Season 2 promises to bring new cast members, according to Variety, including Sean Astin, whom you most likely remember as Rudy or as Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He’ll play a nerdy friend of Joyce and Hooper. He’s to be joined by Paul Reiser, a “Department of Energy muckety muck,” and Linnea Berthelsen, who will play a mystery woman with vague connections to the same Department of Energy program that brought forth the Demogorgon.

How About Some Spoilers?

Producer Shawn Levy told Screen Rant that he’s keeping his cards close to his vest when it comes to Season 2 spoilers.

“All I’m going to tell you about season 2… Look, as much as people are dying to know what happened, I think the reason Stranger Things has become the phenomenon it has is because no one knew what was coming.”

Strangely (see what I did there) enough, the Season 2 episode titles have already been released, which simultaneously tells you everything and nothing about what’s going to happen in the next season. And by the way, there are nine of them the second time around, instead of the original eight from the first season.

1. “Mad Max”
2. “The Boy Who Came Back To Life”
3. “The Pumpkin Patch”
4. “The Palace”
5. “The Storm”
6. “The Pollywog”
7. “The Secret Cabin”
8. “The Brain”
9. “The Lost Brother”

Needless to say, it’s going to be a long eight or so months before Stranger Things Season 2 comes out.

[Featured Image by Lowtrucks via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Resized | by Public Domain]