Stranger Things Adds 4 New Cast Members, Plus a Podcast, Games and More

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown uses her powers as Eleven by holding her hand out in front of her.

Eleven has some new castmates for season four.
Photo: Netflix

Almost two years have passed since we last saw the kids from Hawkins, Indiana, and while we don’t know exactly when they’ll return just yet, there are lots of Stranger Things items to hold us over until then. Today, Netflix dropped a ton of news starting with four new members to join the cast for the upcoming season, a new in-world podcast, game tie-ins, and more.

While Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Sadie Sink, and Maya Hawke are all set for a return in season four of the hit sci-fi horror series, the new cast members are Amybeth McNulty, Myles Truitt, Regina Ting Chen, and Grace Van Dien. Here’s the series creators, the Duffer Brothers, announcing the news.

McNulty plays Vickie, “a cool, fast-talking band nerd who catches the eye of one of our beloved heroes.” Truitt is Patrick, “a Hawkins basketball star who has friends, talent, and a good life… until shocking events send his life spiraling out of control.” Ting Chen is Ms. Kelly, “a popular guidance counselor who cares deeply for her students—especially those struggling the most.” And Van Dien is Chrissy, “Hawkins’ High lead cheerleader and the most popular girl in school. But beneath the seemingly perfect surface lies a dark secret.” What you can tell the most from those descriptions is the characters have lots of new interests and interactions this season. Basketball players, cheerleaders, guidance counselors? These aren’t really things kids in basements think about too much. Stranger Things is growing up.

Speaking of growing up, last season we just got to meet Robin (Hawke) and now she’s becoming an even bigger part of the world. She’s the central character in new Stranger Things podcast and book that are both coming out later this month. Here’s a brief trailer for the podcast.

Much like the podcast will explore what it’s like growing up in Hawkins, the book, Stranger Things: Rebel Robin, will do the same. Written by A.R. Capetta, it’s a YA book about Robin and her friends trying to figure out how to get to Europe on vacation over the summer.

G/O Media may get a commission

From the first episode of the first season of the show, we knew that the characters loved to expand their imaginations with tabletop gaming. So it’s only fitting that Stranger Things is adding some awesome gaming to its vast merchandising empire. First, it was revealed that Stranger Things was going to be incorporated into the online multi-player game Smite: Battleground of the Gods. Plus, this:

Yup. Stranger Things is coming to Magic: The Gathering. That’s basically the most perfect team-up ever. As for when we’ll actually get to see the gang team up again, season four production is apparently still happening in Atlanta. So the end of the year would probably be a stretch. Maybe next spring? We don’t know. But we cannot wait.


For more, make sure you’re following us on our Instagram @io9dotcom.