It has been what seems like years since we last took a trip to Hawkins, Indiana, to catch up with the characters of Stranger Things, but with filming on the massively anticipated fourth season well underway, we are almost ready to take a trip back to the Upside Down. While there has been little official information released about the plot and what we can expect, some new set photos suggest that there is a traumatic time coming for at least one of the gang. While the context of the images is unclear, there is plenty to keep interest for the upcoming season well and truly stoked. Read on for potential spoilers.

Set photos that first appeared on Digital Spy appear to show Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven being transported to an ambulance on a stretcher, her face covered with an oxygen mask, in what appear to be dramatic scenes for the character. While Eleven is always central to the action, this is a sign that the tough lead protagonist of the series is about to maybe bite off more than she can chew. While there is no context for the photo, as to whether it involves the current story or is part of a flashback, it is a sure sign that we can expect the usual chaos and tense drama from the new episodes when they finally air.

Other photos include an Army surplus store in Hawkins, with residents buying up arms to fight...something. With the recent season bringing death and destruction to much of the town, it is hard to speculate what could be coming their way this time. Another picture shows diggers seeming to be working in the rubble of a demolished building, with police and armed guards surrounding the wreckage. Whether this could be the aftermath of another monster attack or could have something to do with Eleven sustaining her injuries we will just have to wait to find out, but as production moves on, we will take whatever we can get at this time.

So far there has been no official word on when we will see the new adventure for the Stranger Things gang arrive on Netflix, but based on the timeline of production, now that Covid19 delays are past, it would likely be towards the middle of 2022 at least. I'm sure Netflix will want to pump up the hype as much as possible before its star pupil comes back to our screens. Meanwhile, there was some recent casting news about newcomers to the franchise that we can expect to see sharing screen time with our favourite Mindflayer slayers.

The additions to the cast were Amybeth McNulty, Myles Truitt, Regina Ting Chen and Grave Van Dien, who will join the likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, David Harbour and Winona Ryder. While there have been many rumors about the Stranger Things world expanding, while some of the action may take place outside the town, as suggested by the final scenes of season 3, the story is still going to come back to Hawkins for a good part of the new episodes. While we wait for these to arrive, we can always go back to the beginning and relive the story so far with seasons one to three, which are currently streaming on Netflix.