The 'Yellowjackets' cast is back on set in Vancouver, Canada, after delays due to the WGA and SAG strikes. Here's what we know.
Yellowjackets is back in production!
It's almost time to go back into the wilderness for season 3 of the delectable series as Showtime has revealed the cast is back in Vancouver to film the highly anticipated (and long-delayed) third installment in the saga.
"Welcome back, Yellowjackets 🐝," the show's official Instagram page posted on Thursday, attaching clips of the cast members welcoming fans back into the world of the soccer team turned survivalists. The announcement comes almost one year to the day after season 2's ninth and final episode aired on May 28, 2023.
The video features appearances from the younger version of the characters, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Liv Hewson, and Courtney Eaton, as well as a surprise appearance from Elijah Wood who confirmed his return as Walter in the present-day timeline. The snippet from set does not feature Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, Lauren Ambrose, and Simone Kessell -- the present-day adult versions of the characters.
While the group was initially set to go back to work last fall, the concurrent Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023 held back production.
"Well, we had exactly one day in the #YellowJackets S3 writers' room," the show's co-creator, Ashley Lyle, revealed on Twitter, in May of last year, just one day after the WGA strike began. "It was amazing, and creatively invigorating, and so much fun, and I'm very excited to get back to it as soon as the #WGA gets a fair deal."
Co-created by Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Showtime's mystery-thriller series follows a 1996 girls soccer team whose plane crash lands in the Canadian wilderness while en route to a tournament in Seattle, Washington. The group was left stranded for 19 months, forced to endure harsh weather and dwindling options for sustenance. The show jumps back and forth between the girls' grueling face-off with Mother Nature and the adult lives of the survivors in the present day.
Ella Purnell, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, and Kevin Alves fill out the main cast soccer player Jackie, Coach Ben, Shauna's husband Jeff, and Travis, son of another coach who is stuck in the wilderness with the other girls.
Here's everything we know about Yellowjackets season 3.
Has Yellowjackets been renewed for season 3?
Yes, Showtime announced in December 2022 that Yellowjackets would return for a third season. The news came three months before season 2 premiered in March.
"With Yellowjackets' runaway success in season 1 and the pent-up anticipation for season 2, we wanted to maximize the momentum by fast-tracking season 3 now," said Chris McCarthy, President and CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media Networks.
He added, "The show's ambition is only exceeded by its execution, and I thank the incredible creative team behind it, including Ashley [Lyle], Bart [Nickerson], Jonathan [Lisco], eOne and the Showtime team, for turning this into such a success."
Is Yellowjackets season 3 in progress?
Showtime confirmed on May 30, 2024 that the cast and crew had reassembled in Canada to film the third season and shared a sweet video of each of the cast members on set, reacquainting themselves with their characters. The filming is expected to take several months just as the first two seasons did.
How will the writers' strike delay Yellowjackets season 3?
Lyle tweeted on May 1, 2023 that the Yellowjackets writers' room had "exactly one day" of working before the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike paused their production.
"It was amazing, and creatively invigorating, and so much fun, and I’m very excited to get back to it as soon as the #WGA gets a fair deal," Lyle wrote. She added hashtags for #1u and #unionstrong.
Ultimately, the WGA strike came to an end in late September 2023, meaning the show's writers could put pen to paper with their ideas for the Wiskayok High School Yellowjackets. The actor strike continued well into the fall, however, with a deal finally being reached in early November.
What will happen in Yellowjackets season 3?
In January, ET spoke with the cast at the Emmy Awards where they pulled in three nominations for season 2 and they spoke about what could be coming down the pike for their characters, especially in the wake of a major cliffhanger at the end of season 2. Spoiler alert: the next paragraphs discuss a character's death.
The last season ended with adult Misty (Christina Ricci) accidentally killing her friend Natalie (Juliette Lewis) in a shocking twist of events. The actress who plays young Misty, Samantha Hanratty, told ET earlier this year she foresees grief being a big storyline.
"I think that with that grief, it's gonna bring out a lot of interesting levels of the other characters and I'm really excited to see that. Sophie Thatcher (teen Natalie) is gonna keep Natalie's legacy living," she shared.
Aside from dealing with that tough loss, the cast predicted what else season 3 could look like for both the younger and the older versions of the characters.
"I'm gonna put it out there that season 1 is chaotic and messy, season 2 is like still cold and dark and it was winter, and then this one was the meltdown," Hanratty said. "You're going to see the melting of like what these people are and really get to see like the broness of these girls."
"I think season 3 will probably be the wildest, bloodiest season that we have. Granted, we don't know anything to be fair," Steven Krueger who plays Coach Ben, said. "Granted, we don't know anything to be fair. I'm just guessing that's where it's going."
Lyle previously told Entertainment Weekly she and her co-creators had planned five seasons of the show, but kept tight-lipped on the direction the series will take.
"The original plan was about five seasons, and we feel like we're still on track for that," Lyle said. "We don't really see this as being more than a five-season show. I think that there are shows that can go forever, but I think that when you're telling such a deeply serialized story and it's about these characters' lives, you want to reach a satisfying conclusion and not just drag things out forever. This isn't really one of those setup shows where it can go anywhere. So far, we've been really on track. Season 2 is largely what we always planned, but you do make a lot of discoveries along the way and so it's always a little bit surprising."
Is there cast information for Yellowjackets season 3?
While Showtime has not released official cast information for season 3, it's likely much of the main cast will return and the May 2024 post features almost all members of the young cast. The older versions have yet to be confirmed, however, Christina Ricci previously posted to her Instagram Story about being back on set.
"She's back," the actress wrote over a picture of herself in her Misty costume.
Variety originally reported that Jason Ritter, the real-life husband of Melanie Lynskey and upcoming star of the CBS reboot of Matlock, would appear as a guest in Yellowjackets season 2, but the role did not end up materializing.
ET has learned, however, that Ritter will appear in the world of Yellowjackets at some point.
When will Yellowjackets season 3 premiere?
It is currently unknown when the show's third season will debut. Some estimates place the show within a fall 2024 premiere date due to the late spring and early summer production schedule, however, that information has not been confirmed.
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