Netflix may have only just released Stranger Things season 4, part 1, but everyone's already desperate to get their mitts on Volume 2. Director Shawn Levy has teased the final two episodes – and warned they're set to "punch you right in the heart."
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Free Guy helmer – who directed multiple episodes of Stranger things this season – promised that Volume 2 "are as emotional as they are cinematic" and urged viewers not to be put off by their hefty runtimes. (It has previously been announced that episode 8, titled 'Papa', will be 85 minutes long, while 'The Piggyback' is a whopping two and a half hours).
"Holy shit, they are definitely a treat for the eyes," Levy added, as he praised the show's co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer.
Set six months after the events of season 3, which ended with Jim Hopper (David Harbour) being thrown in a Russian prison and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) leaving Hawkins with Will (Noah Schnapp) and his family, Stranger Things 4 – Volume 1 sees the gang face a new and horrifying supernatural threat, Vecna. Before long, they stumble across "a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down."
The first volume ends with Vecna's true identity being revealed and the promise of an all-out war between our scattered heroes and the Mind Layer-dwelling baddie. "One thing I love about the Duffers, who have very different personalities than me, they're a different generation than me, but where we've always understood each other is: We make stuff for audiences," Levy explained. "We are not out here telling stories just for ourselves. We're telling them for broad populist appeal."
"In a world where so many shows end unsatisfyingly, I love that the Duffers got to episode seven of our penultimate season and said, 'You know what? Answers feel good. And now it's time. It's time to explain so much of what's been going on,'" Levy continued. "So, I for one, just love that we have been able to give our audience so much narrative satisfaction with those explanations.
"It does reframe everything we know about the evil of Hawkins and the supernatural villains that we face, and I don't want to give too much away regarding Volume 2 and season five, but it certainly also serves as a springboard for what's next."
Volume 2 is set to arrive on July 1 – check out our Stranger Things season 4 release schedule for more information. If you've already binge-watched all seven episodes, why not check out our list of the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration.
