Everyone’s favorite chief of police is back — though he’s not in Hawkins anymore. On Friday, Netflix released the first teaser trailer for Stranger Things Season 4, and the 50-second clip holds a major clue about the fate of one long-thought dead character. That’s right, David Harbour’s Sheriff Jim Hopper is officially back, and this time he’s in Russia.
From Russia with love… @stranger_things pic.twitter.com/bHzsMhXNuh
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) February 14, 2020
“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!” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement, TV Line reports. “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.”
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“Meanwhile, back in the states, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything,” the statement continued. “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.”
In Friday’s snow-covered clip, dozens of people can be seen doing hard labor amid the icy terrain as barking dogs and Russian soldiers look on. Among the men working along a railway is the fan-favorite Hopper, and he’s giving off a very Eleven-like vibe with a shaved head.
As fans know, things had been looking rather gloomy for Hopper at the end of Season 3 after he seemingly went down in a blaze of glory in an explosion at a secret Russian military base underneath the StarCourt Mall in Hawkins.
Unwilling to give up hope, however, fans had been adamant in their belief that Hopper had not only survived, but was in a post-credits scene mentioning “the American.”
Hope of his survival only increased after on-set photos shared to Reddit in October showed what appeared to be Hopper’s vehicle on location for filming. Meanwhile, the fact that Harbour was contracted through Season 4, and possibly beyond only sparked more hope.
Upping the ante, Harbour had made a number of strange social media updates, including a cryptic series of Instagram profile changes that, when put together, became the number for of Murray Bauman, the private investigator/conspiracy theorist played by Brett Gelman. When called, a message from Murray said he had “an update. It’s about, well, its probably best if we speak in person. It’s not good or bad, but it’s something.”
The first three seasons of Stranger Things are currently available for streaming on Netflix. Season 4, which will reportedly be the series’ longest season yet with nine episodes, does not yet have a premiere date.
