“Lord of the Rings” star to join “Stranger Things” hit series season 2

PanARMENIAN.Net - The shape of “Stranger Things” to come is becoming a little clearer. Season 2 of the Netflix horror thriller will include Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, and Linnea Berthelsen in the cast, Variety reveals.

Astin will play Bob Newby, a kind-hearted former nerd who went to high school with Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour). Bob is now the manager of the Hawkins RadioShack. Astin’s ’80s and ’90s bona fides (“The Goonies,” “Rudy”) and “Lord of the Rings” stardom fit well with the “Stranger Things” aesthetic.

Reiser is Dr. Owens, a Department of Energy muckety muck who is tasked with “containing” the events of the previous year, when a murderous being from another dimension came through to our own, kidnapping young Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). In addition to “Stranger Things” and his current role on Amazon’s “Red Oaks,” Reiser will debut an eight-episode scripted series set at “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” on NBCU’s comedy streaming service Seeso in 2017.

Berthelsen, a Danish newcomer, will play Roman, an emotionally damaged young woman who suffered a big loss as a kid. Roman isn’t a Hawkins resident, but she is connected to all the spooky stuff that happened at the Department of Energy lab during the first season.

The trio join fellow new “Stranger Things” actors Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery. Season 2 is currently in production for a 2017 debut.