“Stranger Things” just released a teaser video for its forthcoming season in the form of a commercial for the Starcourt Mall, a new addition to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
The upcoming season is set in the summer of 1985, one year after the events of Season 2. Just like the arcade, the Starcourt Mall will probably be a cool hangout spot for the group of friends, especially since they are older now.
Starcourt Mall features The Gap Inc., Waldenbooks, Sam Goody, Claire’s and Zales, among other stores, and a food court with a Scoops Ahoy, an ice cream shop created for the show.
Ahoy! Something is coming… to Hawkins, Indiana! pic.twitter.com/BI4wFRVzvB
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) July 16, 2018
In the teaser for Season 3, a familiar face can be seen behind the counter of the ice cream shop, and fans learn that Steve Harrington will be working in the mall.
At an event in Los Angeles, the executive producer of the series, Shawn Levy, told audience members that they can expect to see Harrington holding a larger role in the upcoming season.
Levy said, “We’ll definitely get to see some more of Steve Harrington in Season 3, and I’ll just say we won’t be abandoning the Dad Steve magic. I don’t want to say much more, but I literally feel that we were walking along and we stumbled onto a gold mine with Dad Steve.”
Fans are also introduced to Robin (played by Maya Hawke, a new cast member), who is Harrington’s coworker at the ice cream shop, as seen in the faux commercial.
Of course, Starcourt Mall won’t just be another normal mall. It is in Hawkins, Indiana, after all. So, what supernatural, monstrous events will happen here? Although there aren’t too many details as of now, fans can surely expect something out of the ordinary to occur.
At the end of the commercial, “COMING NEXT SUMMER!” appears in white text on the screen, which could be a hinting at the release date of Season 3 or, as the unfavorable alternative, could simply be referencing the mall’s grand opening.
Originally, there was talk that fans could watch Season 3 on Netflix in 2018. But according to an interview with David Harbour, who plays Chief Hopper, 2019 is a more realistic release date.
“I mean, one of the things that’s annoying for fans is that it takes us a long time to do them. Like, you probably won’t get [Season 3] until sometime in 2019,” said Harbour.
Fans are currently left with many questions about Season 3, especially since there were not a lot of details about the plot. The commercial angle was drastically different than the teasers and trailers of the other two seasons, providing a new vibe free of familiar eeriness or drama.
Aside from Robin, two other new characters have been confirmed. They include Mayor Kline (played by Cary Elwes) and Bruce, a Hawkins Post journalist (played by Jake Busey).
In April, a behind-the-scenes video was released from a script reading for the upcoming season to let fans know that Season 3 was in production.
back at it, nerds. pic.twitter.com/DEkG0Ng5b1
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) April 27, 2018
According to Thrillist, there will most likely be a total of eight episodes in Season 3, the same amount as Season 1, and one episode short of Season 2.
With all the mystery surrounding the newest season, fans are as eager as ever to see what crazy events will unravel. But as of the present, they could be waiting for a while.
