Will Byers was once at the center of the Stranger Things story (he inspired countless Christmas light designs), but since season one, the show hasn’t known what to do with him. That was especially evident in season four, where he was just kind of… there. The most interesting thing about the character, outside of his haircut, is something currently unspoken. Speaking of things not being said: no one said “happy birthday” to Will.
In an interview with Variety that published after the season four premiere, Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer were informed that “fans have noticed that in episode two of season four, a rolling camera has the date of March 22, which is supposed to be Will’s birthday.” Did everyone forget about poor Will? “The honest response is, clearly like the characters in the show, we also forgot about Will’s birthday. So the debate now is whether we adjust Will’s birthday or we just let it be really sad,” Matt replied. “We love Will, and I don’t want people to think we don’t love Will because we forgot. We do!” Sounds like something someone who doesn’t love Will would say.
The Duffers have a solution, however, they revealed in a new interview with Variety:
“It’s too sad!” Matt Duffer said. “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.” As it turns out, it wouldn’t be the first time. “We have George Lucas’d things also that people don’t know about,” he continued, while declining to detail specific alterations from previous seasons.
George Lucas famously went back and “fixed” issues he had with A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi when the Star Wars original trilogy was re-released in theaters in 1997. The Duffers won’t do anything as drastic as Han stepping on Jabba’s tail (although “some of the visual effects” in season four have changed since it premiered), but they can make it up to Will by adding a scene where Max Rebo Band sings “Jedi Rocks” to him. Maybe they can even change the lyrics to “Will Rocks.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozaoqBHCMmA
(Via Variety)