Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Key Art Poster Highlights Eleven vs Vecna

Two episodes. Over four hours of nerve-crushing suspense, exhilaration & heartbreak. That’s what awaits fans of Netflix & the Duffer Bros’ Stranger Things 4 when Volume 2 hits streaming screens later this week. And while the war to save the world is being waged on a number of fronts, the newest key art that was released today focuses on our two main players, Millie Bobby Brown‘s Eleven and Jamie Campbell Bower‘s Vecna. Take a look:

In the following highlights from a recent interview with Variety, the Duffer Bros. not only drop a few more clues about what viewers can expect from the spinoff but also confess to being practitioners of… “George Lucas-ing”?!

So When Are They Starting Work on That “Different” Spinoff?

Ross Duffer: “There’s a version of it developing in parallel [to season 5], but they would never shoot it parallel. I think actually we’re going to start delving into that soon as we’re winding down and finishing these visual effects, Matt and I are going to start getting into it.”

Matt Duffer: “The reason we haven’t done anything is just because you don’t want to be doing it for the wrong reasons, and it was just like, ‘Is this something I would want to make regardless of it being related to Stranger Things or not?’ And definitely. Even if we took the ‘Stranger Things’ title off of it, I’m so, so excited about it. But it is not… It’s going to be different than what anyone is expecting, including Netflix.”

How to Fix the Problem with Will’s Birthday? It’s Time to “George Lucas” It: So remember that big screw-up back in S04E02 regarding Will’s (Noah Schnapp) birthday and no one acknowledging it? Well, it looks like the Duffer Bros. are going to “George Lucas” it (a phrase for when one goes back to make changes/update a long-standing work). During the interview, Matt offered the possibility of changing Will’s birthday to May 22 ” because ‘May’ can fit in Winona’s [Ryder, Joyce Byers] mouth” as an example of “us ‘George Lucas-ing’ the situation.” Matt continued, “It’s [Will’s birthday mishap] too sad! And it doesn’t make any narrative sense. But we were talking about it yesterday, and I think we’re going to ‘George Lucas’ that.”

But This Would Be the First Time They “George Lucas’d,” Right? “We have George Lucas’d things also that people don’t know about,” Matt revealed. And while they didn’t offer up any specifics, Ross did have one suggestion for those wanting to do a little investigating: “You do have the physical copies though, the Blu-rays and stuff — you’d have to compare.” In fact, they applied the method as recently as Volume 1, with Ross adding, “Some of the visual effects. It’s not, like, story, but you’re essentially patching in shots. Netflix is — I don’t think they’ve ever allowed people to patch on opening week and even weekend. And we said, ‘Well, why not?’ And he said, ‘Well, it makes us nervous.’ And we’re like, ‘Well, maybe we try it this time.’ And it turned out fine.”

Now here’s a look back at the official trailer for Netflix’s Stranger Things 4 Volume 2, hitting screens on July 1st:

And here’s a look back at the previously-released sneak preview for the season’s summer end-run:

And for those of you feeling a bit nostalgic (just not for a seven-episode rebinge), here’s a quick recap of the fourth season so far:

And if spoilers are no longer a concern, then why not spend a good 45 minutes or so hanging out with the cast & creative team as they take a deep dive into Stranger Things 4 Volume 1:

Netflix’s Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner). Now without further delay, we return you to your continued repeated viewings of the official trailer for the fourth season:

It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time — and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.

Jamie Campbell Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Sweeney Todd), Eduardo Franco (Booksmart, The Binge), and Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great, Howards End) joined the cast of Stranger Things as series regulars. Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones), Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands, Westworld), Mason Dye (Bosch, The Goldbergs), Nikola Djuricko (Genius, In The Land of Blood and Honey), and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise, V) also joined in recurring roles. In addition, Brett Gelman‘s Murray Bauman was promoted to series regular. In addition, Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E), Myles Truitt (Black Lightning), Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South), and Grace Van Dien (The Village) joined the cast.