Coming out of seemingly nowhere and hitting it out of the park, Stranger Things has become Netflix's big summer hit. Despite receiving critical praise and lots of buzz on social media, Netflix took their sweet time announcing a Season 2 for the sci-fi drama throwback. But it now appears that Stranger Things isn't wasting any more time gearing up for Season 2. Having already announced next season's episode titles, the hit show has also revealed a casting call for three new characters to join the crew.
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, and they report that the Duffer Brothers are looking to include some new faces in the town of Hawkins in the form of upcoming characters Max, Billy, and Roman. The first new character on the list is Max, a series regular. She's a 13-year-old girl who is described as being more like a tomboy. She's confident and tough, but is protective of her past and naturally suspicious of others. Instead of using a bicycle to get around, she can almost always be seen on her skateboard. Considering that one of the episode titles for Season 2 is "MadMax," we can expect her to be a big part of the upcoming season.
Billy is Max's stepbrother and is a "super muscular, overconfident 17-year-old." Apparently Billy has a penchant for stealing people's girlfriend's, which should hint at which characters he's going to spend most of his time with (watch out Steve and Nancy). Despite his cool bravado, those closest to him know his "violent and unpredictable nature, which shows itself to those younger than him." There are even rumors circling that he killed someone at his old high school. This isn't a guy anyone is going to want to be friends with.
The final character is Roman, who could be a male or female of any ethnicity between the ages of 30 and 38. Roman has the most troubled backstory of the bunch; he or she grew up homeless with a drug-addicted mother, and then suffered a great loss. Roman has been looking to exact revenge ever since. Could Roman be the new villain of the season? Better yet, is he or she a former test subject of Hawkins Laboratory?
While these three new characters are certainly interesting, fans shouldn't be worried that they will steal focus from the cast we've come to know and love. In a separate interview with THR, producer and filmmaker Shawn Levy revealed that despite the new additions, devoting time to the principal cast will always be the main mission.
There's definitely a handful of really compelling new characters this season, but absolutely servicing the core group first and foremost. But yes, we have some new characters entering the adventure. Like the show itself, it's multigenerational new characters and really, really intriguing ones.
Stranger Things Season 2 will take place in the fall of 1984, one year after the events of the first season. Season 2 will hit Netflix sometime in 2017, with most of the principal cast returning.
