Stranger Things fans get pretty passionate about the relationships on the show, and so far, creators the Duffer brothers have been good at listening to what the fanbase wants. For instance, everyone was calling for Nancy and Jonathan to get together in season 1 and they finally did in season 2. So far, though, we haven’t seen Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers and David Harbour’s Sheriff Jim Hopper start a romance, despite there obviously being something between them since the beginnings of the series.
One thing that’s at the top of the list then for what must happen in season 3 is for the couple affectionately called “Jopper” to become an item. Thankfully, when Variety caught up with Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy at the Emmys and pressed him for info on whether there would be sparks flying between the two characters in the new run, he made some encouraging comments.
“It’s not gonna not happen. We are fans of Jopper, we are also fans of combining strength with strength among our cast, right? So last season, season 2… that was all about Hopper and Eleven, Millie [Bobby Brown] and David, let’s see what happens if we pit them against each other. There’s a lot of Winona and David in season 3.”
The interviewer wasn’t taking no for an answer, though, and pushed for a confirmation. Still, Levy was too wily and wouldn’t say either way. You can see his full response in the video below.
Shawn Levy discusses the future of Jopper in season 3 of #StrangerThings #Emmys https://t.co/QILf2nBd4b pic.twitter.com/3wxuevDLPq
— Variety (@Variety) September 17, 2018
David Harbour’s previously teased that Hopper will find love in season 3, as he spoke about how he got to explore new “intimacy ” and “vulnerability” for the character. Put this together with Levy’s comments and it sounds a lot like “Jopper” is definitely going to happen when Stranger Things arrives on Netflix in 2019.
This fits with what else we’ve already been told, too. As this season will be set in the summer, the show’s third run will be a little lighter than season 2 and allow the characters some time to breathe and be happy. However, things will turn dark later on when the world of the Upside Down once again collides with Hawkins, Indiana.