Shawn Levy Talks 'Stranger Things' Season 2, Says Duffer Bros. Already Thinking Ahead To Season 3

You try not to mess too much with success, and with “Stranger Things” becoming one of the most talked-about shows over the summer, directors and creators Matt and Ross Duffer and producer Shawn Levy aren’t changing up the formula. Sure, there are new cast members and the narrative is reportedly taking a leap a full year ahead, but the contained nature of the storytelling aims to be the same, with the second season only growing to nine episodes compared to eight in the first. But the biggest task ahead will be keeping the secrets under wraps as much as possible, and chatting with Collider, Levy was quite cautious about saying too much as he teased what lies ahead.

“I’m not gonna say how much time has gone by. It is not the next day, I’ll say that. And there are several new characters who I think several of them are going to be new fan-favorites because they’re great, great new characters. But we are definitely sticking primarily with our core group, and what is different, how are they changed from the experience of last season… maybe ‘normal’ is never possible again,” he offered.

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“Will Byers was in that Upside Down for a while. So Season 2 is about this determined desire to return to normalcy in Hawkins, in the Byers family, in that group of friends, and it’s the struggle to reclaim normalcy and maybe the impossibility of it,” Levy added.

He also confirmed that, just as he did in season one with “Holly, Jolly” and “The Body,” Levy will be back behind the camera for episodes three and four of season two. And that’s not all, as it appears the Duffers and Levy are already laying out the groundwork for a third season so they are ready to roll when Netflix makes that call.

“We are not gonna be caught off guard and we don’t wanna be making stuff up like the day before we have to write it and make it, so we are definitely optimistic and we have started thinking ahead,” he added.

“Stranger Things” season 2 will arrive in 2017, and it sounds like the return to the Upside Down will be worth the wait.