Stranger Things Season 3 Will Focus Even More on Everyone’s Favorite Bromance

When Stranger Things first premiered on Netflix back in 2016, audiences were initially drawn to it by its sci-fi and horror premise. The cast consisted largely of young, unknown actors, with that first season growing a passionate following not only due to its genre narrative, but due to the chemistry between the characters. In Season Two, fans were given more of the relationships they loved, while also witnessing the development of unexpected connections, with one of the more entertaining new friendships being between Steve and Dustin. As we gear up for Season Three, one star of the series confirms we’ll see even more of that relationship.

“You definitely see more of that,” Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, shared with Entertainment Weekly. “That’s what I really like about [creators] Matt and Ross [Duffer]: They know what fans like and they roll with it.”

The two characters came together in the second half of last season, with the pair forming an unlikely friendship. After Steve (Joe Keery) broke up with Nancy (Natalia Dyer), he had a lot more free time, ultimately becoming a mentor of sorts to Dustin. It’s unclear how the narrative will offer the pair more scenes together, but it sounds like it’s something we can count on.

After having faced a number of otherworldly threats in the first two seasons, it would appear that the upcoming season will spend a lot more time exploring character relationships as opposed to relying on terrifying monsters to tell a compelling tale.

“It’s bigger, and it’s more Spielbergian,” star David Harbour previously shared with Collider. “I felt Season One was very Stephen King, Season Two was very Spielberg, and we get even more Spielbergian in our aesthetic. It’s got a lot of color to it this year, we really get into the ’80s more; it’s ’85, Hopper has a whole new getup, he’s got a mustache — we’re leaning into it in a really fun, interesting way.”

He continued, “Also it’s got a lot of love, and it always has from the very beginning. That’s the thing that’s very special about the show, it has tremendous heart. I always get choked up when I watch it, and this season is no different. It takes a lot of risks, but in its essence it’s going to smack you in the heart. It’s really funny and it’s really beautiful and there are some big, big surprises.”

The third season of Stranger Things debuts on July 4th.

Are you looking forward to seeing more Steve and Dustin stories? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!