‘Stranger Things’ Producer Promises Plenty of Fun to Balance Season 3’s Darkness

The success of Stranger Things comes from not only its sci-fi and horror themes, but also its adventurous spirit and energy that emanates from its young cast. Producer Shawn Levy recently teased that the upcoming season of the series would be darker than its predecessors, though he went on to clarify that the whole affair won’t be miserable, as it will still offer plenty of fun that fans love so much.

The producer replied to a story about the upcoming season, “To clarify (and then I am shutting UP!)— there’s plenty of summer fun AND light. But there’s also a WHOLE LOT more…Hang in there guys. It’s gonna be worth the wait. Promise.”

The third season is still filming, with fans still waiting to see any official images or footage from the new endeavor. The first promo for the new season offered viewers a fake commercial for an in-world ice cream store, which leaned more heavily into the light-hearted themes of the series. With this commercial being the first glimpse we had gotten of the new series, Levy promised more macabre elements would balance out the summer fun.

“That would be part of the store. but not at all representative of the season,” Levy shared with The Playlist. “There’s no question that, as you saw in that infomercial, Starcourt Mall is a part of Season Three. As is summertime. So Season Three has a really healthy dose of poppy, bright levity and cultural fun. But I can only promise you that Season Three eventually goes places that are darker, and unquestionably more action-packed,than we’ve ever gone before.”

He added, “It would be a mistake for anyone to think that Season Three is the summer of fun and lightness because it’s a whole lot more than that.”

Star of the series David Harbour seemingly confirmed that the new season will be both darker and more fun than previous seasons, noting that everything about the season would be amplified from the show’s previous accomplishments.

“I wish I could characterize the season, but to me it’s so big,” Harbour shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “For example, did you find last season to be darker? There were certainly elements of it that were scary, but I thought there was also a lot of fun, a lot of joy and a lot of silliness, with Steve being a dad and the kids as Ghostbusters. Just taking my story, for example, it’s fun to see Hopper having adopted Eleven. She’s become legitimized in the society, in the world of Hawkins. And he’s a father now. He’s raising a teenage daughter, with all that that entails. So I think that can be pretty funny to see his inadequacies in all of this.”

The third season of Stranger Things is set to debut in 2019, with the first two seasons streaming on Netflix now.

Are you relieved by these comments about the new season? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Twitter, ShawnLevyDirect]