‘Stranger Things’: David Harbour Reportedly Contracted for Season 4

Stranger Things star David Harbour is reportedly contracted for Season 4, despite the uncertain ending for his character in Season 3. Harbour has played Sheriff Jim Hopper on the show since Season 1, with his character eventually becoming the unofficial adopted dad of Eleven, the super-powered tween who has the ability to move things with her mind. Now, IndieWire is reporting that Harbour is set to appear in another season of the show. However, Netflix has yet to officially announce Season 4 of Stranger Things.

Warning: Stranger Things Season 3 Spoilers Below

In the most recent season of the show, Hopper was thought to have been blown up after science lab explosion in a secret Russian military base underneath the StarCourt Mall in Hawkins, Indiana.

However, the news that Harbour in contracted to appear in another season of Stranger Things all but confirms the implication that he is still alive, which came during a mid-credits scene in the Season 3 finale episode wherein a Russian guard referred to an unseen prisoner as “the American.”

The “American” is presumed to be Hopper, who was possibly apprehended by the Russian military as they were escaping the secret base.

During a conversation with The Philadelphia Inquirer ahead of the Season 3 debut, Harbour opened up about the show and addressed what it’s like it be on a show that is set during a time when he was actually a young man real life.

“Nowadays, everything’s recorded and everything’s documented and they can go look at your Facebook page or your Instagram page,” he said. “And back then it was like you could really get lost. You and your friends could get lost in the woods and do weird stuff that nobody knew about. And I think there’s a sense of that in the show — kids really were able to be kids.”

“Now, I think you have to be savvy,” Harbour added. “Even as a child, you have to understand the fact that you’re being recorded. I think that’s part of the larger nostalgia [surrounding the show] is this idea that we’re not being so watched.”

All three seasons of Stranger Things are now streaming on Netflix. While Season 4 of the show has not formally been announced, it is presumed that Netflix will bring it back for at least one more outing, as the show has been one of the most successful originals for the streaming service.