Brace yourselves, because it seems as though David Harbour won't be returning to Stranger Things after all. The cast list for the upcoming fourth season of the Netflix hit has been released on IMBD, and David – who plays Chief Jim Hopper – was nowhere in sight. Fans were convinced that the lovingly grumpy Hopper – who seemingly died in an explosion during the season three finale – was set to star once again in season four, after the end-credits revealed that an American prisoner (believed to be Hopper) was being held captive at a Russian prison base.
David himself has admitted in the past that he is unsure whether he will ever step foot on the Stranger Things set again, telling the 2019 German Comic-Con audience in December: "We don’t know yet, we don’t know. They won’t tell me anything, so we’ll have to see. I think you’ll find out at some point, we’ll find out at some point. Let’s hope he’s alive."
© Photo: Getty ImagesDavid himself was unsure whether he would be reprising his role
Fans flocked to Reddit to dissect the cast list, with one pointing out that so far, the only adult actor to feature was Winona Ryder. The eagle-eyed fan noted: "Only one adult, Winona Ryder, is showing as a definite for season four." The actress, who plays Joyce Byers, has been confirmed to appear in the first episode of season four, titled Chapter One: The Hellfire Club, which is set to air in 2021.
MORE: Will Netflix's Stranger Things end after season four?
© Photo: Getty ImagesDavid Harbour and Winona Ryder at the Stranger Things premiere
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Based on the cast list, Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink, are all set to return.
However, another fan suggested that perhaps the Stranger Things creators are just trying to fuel anticipation, writing on Reddit: "If you click on the episode guide on the right of each actor's name, the drop-down menu shows the first few episodes of Stranger Things four for all the kids, including the older kids. Is it possible the show will be based entirely around the kids next time around, or are they trying to keep us guessing?"
One thing's for sure, we'll be keeping our fingers tightly crossed that it's the latter…
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