Stranger Things news can’t come fast enough for its audience. Even though the show has been in production for their second season shortly after the premiere of its first, viewers are desperate for any news to come out about our new favorite sci-fi series.
Charlie Heaton, who plays the withdrawn Jonathon Byers in Stranger Things, discussed the upcoming “slightly darker” season with Entertainment Tonight, and confirmed that there will be a time jump. We saw glimpses of this in the final episode, as (spoiler alert!) Jonathon’s brother returned home with some strange symptoms and the moody Jim Hopper left waffles in the woods (ostensibly for Eleven).
“You follow these characters a year later,” Heaton explained, “and you’re straight back in the world of Hawkins, [Indiana], which we know and love so well. The scope feels bigger this year.”
The time jump also serves in a realistic production sense, as many of the show’s ensemble characters are younger and filming takes quite some time. Heaton added, “I think they wanted to let things settle, but also there are kids in the show — the actors also have grown in a year. So, we couldn’t have followed straight on.”
But naysayers can calm their fears, as Heaton also assures us that the time jump isn’t going to disrupt the nature of the storytelling: “I don’t think you’re gonna notice. Even though it’s a year, you’re falling straight back into where we left off, in a sense.”
In Stranger Things terms, that means we have more ’80s aesthetic, tension, and action to look forward to for season two. The cast has only recently reunited for their first table read of the season, but Heaton appears excited for what’s in store, as he remarked, “From episode one through four, it’s gonna be a ride.”
Season two of Stranger Things will premiere next year on Netflix. In the meantime, you can watch Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in a music video to help your Stranger Things fix.