Stranger Things are headed for Hawkins in season 3, new companion book reveals
Stranger Things
Steve could have died in season 1
So, before I even touch on this, I’ll admit Steve Harrington has been for some time one of my least favorite characters on Stranger Things. His actions towards Nancy (and Jonathan) in season 1 left such a bad taste in my mouth.
The Duffers, interestingly enough, initially pictured Steve to be a villain in the series who was “never intended to make it out of the first season alive.” Joe Kerry’s portrayal of the character helped turn him into something more pleasing, allowing him to live on through season 2. Now Steve is seen as one of the unsung heroes of the series — and he might just be winning me over too. We’ll see how season 3’s version of Steve Harrington plays out.
Eleven may have died as well
“Goodbye, Mike” may be one of the most heart-wrenching lines in Stranger Things history. Eleven’s sacrifice to kill the demogorgon broke our hearts in season 1, and left us wondering if she’d ever return. According to this new Stranger Things companion book, she wasn’t supposed to.
Ross Duffer explains in the book:
"But once we realized that the show was potentially going to go on longer than one season, we needed to leave it more up in the air, because deep down we knew the show just wouldn’t really work without Eleven. And at that point we knew how special Millie was. If there were going to be more Stranger Things (seasons), Eleven had to come back."
Stranger Things could have been named Montauk
It’s hard to imagine Stranger Things referred to as anything else, but the Duffer brothers shared the original title for the series was actually Montauk. Per usual with these pop culture loving brothers, the title would have paid tribute to their “favorite film of all time,” Jaws. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Eleven all could have been running about a small Long Island town instead of being stuck in Indiana. I’m somewhat glad the show was set in a Midwestern suburb versus something beachside. It makes so much of the show relatable, versus mixing ’80s nostalgia with sand and surf for an uber specific setting.
Those adorable Ghostbusters costumes may not have happened
Honestly, one of the sweetest scenes in Stranger Things is seeing Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will get all prepped for Halloween in those iconic Ghostbusters jumpsuits. (And their moms taking plenty of pics.) Despite the show making a ton of references to ’80s pop culture, there were still hardships to make those references — including Ghostbusters. The book reveals Ghostbusters‘ director Ivan Reitman only allowed the costumes to be used after a personal appeal by producer Shawn Levy.