The first Stranger Things season 4 teaser trailer is here and it confirms what we'd all hoped: Hopper is very much alive, albeit looking the little worse for wear and sporting a buzz cut. Watch above.
We start the Stranger Things trailer where we left off last year: in the wintry wastes of Russia. The brief 30-second clip shows several Russian soldiers overseeing a prison camp, including one general that the camera lingers in for more than a second. Could he be featuring in some way in season 4?
As the camera pushes through the stream of prisoners working on constructing train tracks, it stops at the very end. The lone figure pulls off his hat to reveal it's actually Chief Hopper (David Harbour), bald, battered and bruised. That's a word away from the hat/moustache/loud shirt combo he's best known for. Someone get him a blanket.
Season 3 finished with words that someone called "The American" was rotting in a cell in Eastern Europe. Turns out, that American – as was much speculated – is almost certainly Hopper. The show's creators, the Duffer brothers, said of the return: "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 added: "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."
There's still no confirmation of a Stranger Things season 4 release date. However, there are a few clues out there that hint when the hit show might return to Netflix, with some pointing to another holiday-themed release (via Inverse) December.
Need something to add to your watchlist until then? Here are the best shows on Netflix.
Squid Game creator says he changed the ending of the Netflix show halfway through: "This is not where the story should be headed"
Squid Game season 2's star Lee Jung-jae says he felt "horror" stepping back into the arena on the Netflix show: "It's a kind of feeling that I would never forget in my life"
