'Stranger Things' Season 4 Was Originally Set To Premiere In 2021, According To David Harbour

The two-year gap between Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3 was already tortuous enough, but fans of the Netflix sci-fi series may have to wait even longer for Stranger Things 4 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread.

Production for the fourth season of Stranger Things had begun in Atlanta earlier this year but was suspended earlier this month in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. But if things had gone according to plan, the series might have premiered as early as next year, star David Harbour recently revealed. But now the questions remains as to whether it can keep that original Stranger Things 4 premiere date.

In a recent  Instagram Stories Live Q&A, Harbour, who plays the formerly deceased Chief Hopper in the hugely popular Netflix series, revealed that before production had shut down, Stranger Things season 4 was set to arrive in early 2021:

"Was supposed to come out early next year, I think, although I don't have authority on this."

No official release date had yet been revealed by Netflix, but if production were to wrap in spring 2020, then an early 2021 release date is feasible. That would have set a two-year gap between the fourth and third season of Stranger Things, which debuted on Netflix in July 2019.

But with production on Stranger Things suspended, that gap could stretch on even longer. Harbour noted in the Q&A that with the coronavirus pandemic still at its height, the Stranger Things 4 premiere date will "probably be pushed back." The series, which is being produced in the U.S. and Canda, halted filming in Atlanta starting March 16, with the initial delay time reported to be two weeks long. But with no end in sight for the rising number of cases in the U.S., that delay will likely be extended.

With the large number of cast members who are rapidly aging and going through (or have already gone through) puberty, this presents a problem for Stranger Things. But we breezed through that already in season 2, in which Finn Wolfhard's voice noticeably dropped two octaves.