It’s been a bit of a wild day for Stranger Things fans. Even though the third season of the hit series only premiered seven or so months ago, Netflix decided to treat the world to a Valentine’s Day gift in the form of a new trailer for the next round of episodes.
To be fair, the new clip doesn’t show off a whole lot, but it does confirm a theory that the community has been discussing since last summer: Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper is alive, though he isn’t exactly doing well, so to speak. As the 50-second promo shows, it looks like Jim is being held prisoner by the Russian government and subjected to forced labour somewhere in the frozen Soviet wastelands.
Despite the rough conditions though, fans have been ecstatic now that it’s confirmed Hopper is still alive, and it looks like David Harbour himself has joined in on the celebration. As you can see below, he took to his Instagram account earlier today to share the trailer and pen a message to the show’s following, writing: “For the faithful, Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Despite the recently-released clip, it’s still not clear exactly when the new season of Stranger Things will air. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have confirmed that production on the fourth batch of episodes is underway, though filming is not expected to conclude for another six months or so.
Given how long the post-production process typically takes for a show of this magnitude, there’s a good chance we won’t see Hopper and the gang back on the small screen until sometime next year. Thankfully, though, fans will be able to witness Harbour take on the role of Red Guardian when Marvel’s Black Widow drops on May 1st.