Netflix(LOS ANGELES) — (SPOILERS AHEAD) Good news, Stranger Things fans! Not only is production for season four of the hit Netflix series underway, but a beloved character isn’t dead after all. But you probably suspected that already, didn’t you?
When last we saw Sheriff Jim Hopper, played by David Harbour, he’d apparently been disintegrated as he sacrificed himself to keep the evil Russian spies from re-opening the portal to the Upside Down. But at the end of the final episode of season three, we see a Russian prison in Kamchatka, a far-flung area of that country, where guards are told to feed a prisoner to a Demogorgon they’re holding captive — but “not the American.”
The 50-second teaser trailer for season four confirms that Hopper is indeed alive and in a prison camp in Kachatka. His head and beard are shaven, and he’s shown working on laying railroad tracks in the snow.
In a statement, series creators The Duffer Brothers say, “We’re excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things 4 is now underway — and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper! Although it’s not all good news for our ‘American;’ he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human…and other.”
“Meanwhile, back in the States, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything, they continue. “Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more. In the meantime — pray for the American.”
Perhaps we should: When we last saw Hopper’s adopted daughter, Eleven, her powers hadn’t yet returned.
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