'Stranger Things' season 3 release date: David Harbour confirms 2019 premiere

David Harbour as Jim Hopper on Netflix's "Stranger Things" season 2 Netflix

It will be a while before fans get new episodes of "Stranger Things." David Harbour, who plays Chief Hopper in the Netflix original, broke the terrible news recently that the third season will not be released until 2019.

Speaking to Variety at the Dubai International Film Festival, the actor revealed the Duffer brothers are taking their time in writing the script, and based on how long it took them to make the second season, he estimated the next one will be coming later than everyone thinks.

"I mean, one of the things that's annoying for fans is that it takes us a long time to do them," he said. "Like, you probably won't get [Season 3] until sometime in 2019."

To recap, the sci-fi series first hit the internet in July 2016 and it took until October 2017 before the sophomore run started streaming.

It is not like the Duffer brothers are currently on vacation with their Upside Down cash. The series creators are actually chugging away at writing up the third season at the moment. As Harbour explained: "... also part of the thing is, like any good thing, they need time. And those guys work so hard. I mean, they just sit in their apartment and write for 12, 14 hours a day."

Indeed, writing is no easy job especially when it aims to maintain a franchise's momentum. The Duffer brothers confirmed they already began work on the third season. While it will be their third time to pen "Stranger Things," they admitted they still find it a challenge.

Discussing the process of writing the show, they revealed they specifically have the hardest time "Tracking these multiple storylines and having them sort of build about at the same pace as to crescendo at the same time. It's always the hardest part as we move into writing. Like we're starting on season 3 now, it's always the most difficult thing just to get those to build simultaneously."

Netflix has already greenlit season 3 earlier this month. Plot specifics are under wraps, but it has been confirmed to pick up a year after the events of the sophomore run.

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