‘Yellowjackets’ Showrunners Give Update on Season 3: ‘We’re Deep in the Writing’
“Yellowjackets” showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco gave an update on the status of Season 3 during a Q&A for SAG-AFTRA nomination committee members on Wednesday night.
“We’re deep in the writing,” Lyle said, noting that the show’s writers had already assembled to work on the third season before the WGA strike resulted in a pause in production in May. But, once the strike ended in September, Lyle said “everybody came back so incredibly enthusiastic, raring to go and creatively invigorated.” Without divulging any plot details, she said, “We’re having so much fun and are very excited about it.”
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The series offers a dual timeline narrative: one follows a high school girls’ soccer team who survive a plane crash in the wilderness, and the other catches up with them as adults 25 years later.
The showrunners were joined by the younger “Yellowjackets” cast: Sophie Nélisse (Shauna), Samantha Hanratty (Misty), Courtney Eaton (Lottie) and Liv Hewson (Van). It was the first time the cast had been reunited to discuss the show since before the strike.
During the conversation, which was moderated by Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay, Hanratty was asked about the “Steel Magnolias” speech that Misty delivers during Lottie’s baby shower in the third episode of the last season. The actress admitted she had yet to watch the classic 1989 film. “I haven’t seen it yet,” she said, adding: “Give me until Season 3 and I swear I’m going to have every monologue down.”
Speaking about Season 2’s shocking finale, which sees the girls’ cabin burn down, Lyle revealed that detail was decided early on. She said, “We wanted to find a new way to test the team, and what better way than to take the big net of shelter away from them?”
Speaking about the addition of their adult counterparts to the season — Simone Kessell joined as adult Lottie and Lauren Ambrose was cast as Adult Van Hewson — Eaton said the collaboration was “more like a dance.”
Hewson added, “It’s a bit of a head trip being someone’s point of reference. We don’t have to worry about matching anybody, they have to match us.”
No date was given for when filming would start up on the new season, but with the writers back in action, one can hope the Yellowjackets will buzz back on screen in the not-too-distant future.
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