Stranger Things star gives update on season 4 filming and benefit of COVID delay
But a confirmed release date is still a long way off.
Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo has offered an update on the show's fourth season, explaining why the show's lengthy production delay could actually work in its favour.
Netflix's popular sci-fi drama set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana was forced to halt filming last year as coronavirus began spreading rapidly across the United States.
Since then, the cast and crew have been able to return to work on the show but filming has been intermittent and flexible as a result of restrictions that remain in place due to the pandemic.
"It really is more of a guesstimation [sic] on when we’re gonna be filming next, when we’re gonna be wrapping up, when release is gonna be, all that jazz because we still don’t know on day-to-day if we’re gonna be filming next week," Matarazzo, who plays geeky schoolboy Dustin, told Collider.
"I should be filming like next month for a bigger chunk than I’ve had in a bit, but even though it’s coming up in about two weeks from now, I still don’t know an exact date. So because of that, there’s really no way to figure out when we’re gonna be wrapping."
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With this in mind, it's unclear when exactly we'll be able to binge-watch the next season, particularly given the lengthy post-production process necessary for a show so reliant on visual effects.
However, whenever the fourth instalment does arrive, there's every reason to believe it could be the best yet as Matarazzo went on to explain how the setbacks have allowed co-creators The Duffer Brothers to hammer out their story in advance.
For the previous three seasons, filming commenced before all the scripts had been completed, resulting in the duo going through a stressful process of "panic-writing" to ensure they will be ready in time.
"This year, because of COVID, there’s no excuse for them not to have the [season] written completely," continued Matarazzo. "I think it’s a good thing because now they can take their focus off of what the show is going to be about, and now that they know it, they can focus on how they’re going to deliver. And I think it shows."
Anticipation is high for the fourth season of Stranger Things, which left the fate of Jim Hopper (David Harbour) uncertain and also saw the Byers family leave Indiana with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in tow, but the threat of "the upside-down" persists.
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Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix. Check out the rest of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
