Stranger Things season 3: Netflix promises delay will be 'worth the wait'

Stranger Things fans have a whole year to wait for the third series of Netflix's sci-fi hit – and the delay is down to the care that goes into the "hand-crafted" series, according to an executive for the streaming service.

“It’s a hand-crafted show,” Cindy Holland, Netflix's vice president of original programming, told reporters on Sunday. 

“You know, [showrunners] the Duffer Brothers and [director] Shawn Levy have worked really hard and they understand the stakes are high,” said Holland.

“They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so, they really want to take the time to get it right. I think it’s gonna be a fantastic season, it’s gonna be worth the wait.”

A teaser, released earlier this month, promised the third series would arrive "next summer". The trailer takes the form of a spoof Eighties promotional film about the show's setting of Hawkins, Indiana, showing a brand-new mall which has been built in the fictional town.

Alongside the show's regular stars – including Winona Ryder and Millie Bobby Brown – the third series will introduce several new cast members: Francesca Reale, Jake Busey and Cary Elwes.

Elwes, best known for his lead role in 1987's The Princess Bride, will play the "slippery" Mayor Kline, a character who looks set to be the main antagonist for the series.