Netflix's Stranger Things Season 3 Has A Very Surprising Influence

While the first two seasons of Stranger Things debuted a year apart, fans will have to wait until summer 2019 for Season 3 of Netflix's hit sci-fi thriller. However, David Harbour, who plays cop Jim Hopper in the series, has been speaking about what fans can expect from Season 3, and its unlikely influences.

As reported by Variety, Harbour appeared at a post-screening Q&A and revealed that although Season 3 would be "darker" than the previous two, one movie that had been a big influence on creators Matt and Ross Duffer was the classic 1985 comedy Fletch, starring Chevy Chase.

"The Duffers are so specific each year with the movies," he said. "And Fletch is one movie we get to play around and have some fun with this season, which you wouldn't expect from Stranger Things and you wouldn't expect from the Spielberg universe and you certainly wouldn't expect from a darker season."

In Fletch, Chase plays a unscrupulous journalist who adopts multiple guises in order to investigate a mystery. While Harbour didn't provide any more details about how Fletch might have influenced Stranger Things Season 3, we do know that Jake Busey plays a journalist that Netflix previously described as a "corrupt and sexist news reporter."

In addition, Harbour hinted at what's in store for his character, in particular his relationship with the powerful Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown), who he looks after. "Their relationship is going to get far more complex, because, you know, things happen to girls and boys when they're 13 and 14," he said. "A lot of changes go on in the body and in your social life, and I don't think he's going to handle watching her become a woman in front of his eyes very well. That's a horrifying thing for him--maybe even more so than fighting inter-dimensional monsters."

The 2019 release date for Stranger Things Season 3 was confirmed last month at the TV Critics Association press tour. The first teaser was revealed, and Netflix programming boss Cindy Holland explained that one of the reasons for the delay is the amount of special effects required. "It's a handcrafted show," she said. "The Duffer Brothers and [producer] Shawn Levy--they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than last year. I think it's going to be a fantastic season. It will be worth the wait. It's a really exciting season, just takes a little more time."