Considering the monumental success of Stranger Things, it should come as little surprise to hear that Netflix and The Duffer Brothers are planning several spinoffs. While details of these projects remain a mystery worthy of Stranger Things itself, star David Harbour believes that a series focused on a young Jim Hopper could be on the cards — and even picks an actor to star in the early years of the beloved Sheriff: Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi.

After name-dropping actor Jacob Elordi in an interview with GQ, Harbour proclaimed that the Euphoria star “could pull off being as handsome as I was at 20.” The casting suggestion is a solid one (who knows Jim Hopper better than David Harbour, after all) and it would not necessarily take a spinoff to introduce audiences to a younger version of the character. With Season 5 remaining almost a total secret at present, perhaps the final outing for Stranger Things could feature some flashbacks.

“At this point, I think Hopper is a character that can exist independent of me. If they wanna go back in time, forward in time… I’d love to see another actor play Hopper and see what they can bring to it.”

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Though, if we do end up exploring Hopper’s younger years, it’s perhaps more likely that Netflix would make use of the de-aging tech that was employed to transform Millie Bobby Brown into a ten-year-old. In any case, no doubt fans would love to see more from Hopper, whose life before Hawkins becomes more and more interesting the more we learn about it.

Aside from recasting the role of Jim Hopper, Harbour went on to provide an update on when he thinks work will commence on Stranger Things Season 5.

The Duffer Brothers Are Very Excited About Their Stranger Things Spinoff Ideas

     Netflix

The Duffer Brothers have not yet revealed anything about any of the Stranger Things spinoffs that they currently have in mind. However, they have communicated how excited they are about one idea in particular, and revealed that there is one person who knows what it will be about.

“I think we’ll [shoot] next year. They’re finishing writing it this year, and they need to prep and stuff, so hopefully it’ll be this year. But I think that’s the plan. So it’d probably come out mid-2024, based on our track record.”

Stranger Things Season 4 has now come to an ominous end, with The Upside Down seeping into the real world following the vendetta of Vecna. The fourth season has smashed viewership records, pulling in an unprecedented 7.2 billion viewed minutes, and no doubt Season 5 will be equally as successful. If not more so.

Stranger Things Season 4 is now available on Netflix.