David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper in the Netflix hit Stranger Things, has teased that season 4 will be taking its inspiration from The Great Escape and Alien 3. Harbour, who has also just appeared as the Red Guardian in Marvel’s Black Widow, began his career in 1999 and has held several supporting roles in films such as Quantum of Solace and Suicide Squad over the years. However, it was Harbour’s casting as the lovable Jim Hopper in 2016’s Stranger Things, which was responsible for making him a household name.

Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, over the past three seasons the Stranger Things showrunners have snuck plenty of pop culture references into their show. Aside from their unapologetic love for all things Stephen King, the Duffer brothers have also referenced everything from The Terminator franchise to Ghostbusters, The Never Ending Story and The Karate Kid. Packed to near bursting with Easter eggs, and subtle nods, each season has seen the talented siblings up their game and delve ever deeper into the treasure trove of their own most beloved games and film influences.

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Most recently it would seem that Harbour has spilt the beans about what audiences can expect from the highly anticipated Stranger Things season 4. Speaking with the New York Times, Harbour suggested that the brothers “are big into video games, manga and anime” and they also spoke about Steve McQueen’s 1963 classic The Great Escape and 1992’s Alien 3 as direct influences. Check out what Harbour had to say when he was asked what the new season has in store for fans:

I have my prepackaged answer, which is true, that it’s a super-exciting season. It’s gone to a whole other place. It started out, in Season 1, with this small-town police chief, and now it’s become this sprawling thing with a Russian prison and a monster. The brothers are big into video games, manga and anime, and we definitely play on that this season. We talked about “The Great Escape” and “Alien 3” as influences. In terms of Hopper, you get to see a lot of back story that you haven’t seen before, it’s only been hinted at. As opposed to this dad he’s become, eating chips and salsa and yelling at his teenage daughter, you’ll unearth some more of the warrior that he had been.

Jim Hopper from Stranger Things leans against the sink while eating cereal and smiling

Given that last year’s Stranger Things season 4 teaser trailer revealed that Hopper was imprisoned in a Russian research facility, far from the world he knew in Hawkins, Indiana, those two particular film influences should probably come as little surprise for fans. With The Great Escape retelling a story of a mass escape from a WWII Prisoner of War Camp, and the events of Alien 3 set on the prison planet of Fiorina "Fury" 161, it makes sense that Hopper’s incarceration in a facility known to be housing a Demogorgon would borrow certain aspects of both films. Exactly how Hopper makes his escape back to US soil will be a major story thread that fans are eagerly waiting to see it play out.

In a departure from the prior seasons, which were all largely based within the small town of Hawkins, Stranger Things season 4 will be shaking things up by introducing fans to a wider world. Not only is Hopper incarcerated in the Soviet Union, but Eleven and the Byers family also packed up and left the township behind at the end of season 3. However, as far apart as the central characters now find themselves, the Hawkins National Laboratory is still certain to be at the center of the unfolding drama and it is probably inevitable a Hawkins reunion is on the cards. At the moment Stranger Things fans still have no official release date for season 4, but a 2022 release is likely.

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Source: New York Times