The upcoming horror TV calendar is already exciting, and fans are waiting hungrily for Yellowjackets, though with a slightly more innocent appetite than the show’s characters. Showtime’s timeline-twisting hit won’t be back for a while yet, with Yellowjackets Season 3 destined for a 2025 arrival. But an oasis is on the way in the form of a bonus episode, and series star Sophie Nélisse has offered quite the curious update about not just the extra installment, but also the third season.
Sophie Nélisse Will Be Missing From The Bonus Episode, But Who Else?
When Yellowjackets’ bonus episode was revealed to the world as a follow-up to the second season, the idea was that fans wouldn’t need to wait as long for more lore due to the strike-delayed production start. Details were pretty absent beyond that, but I wrote at the time of the possibility that the bonus ep would address the cameo from co-star Melanie Lynskey’s hubby Jason Ritter that never popped up in Season 2 despite being previously revealed.
It’s still not clear if that’ll be the case or not, but Ritter’s arrival seems all the more possible after Sophie Nélisse revealed to ComicBook.com that the between-seasons ep will be missing a chunk of the cast. When asked if she’d seen any footage from the standalone installment, the actress said:
No. I haven't been able to see it. We weren't there when they were shooting and we were all back home. So I don't know anything that happened. I mean, I read the script. It's a great script. It's super cool. But I haven't seen it. I wish they would have shown us a special little screening, but no, we don't have any.
The big question there, obviously, is who exactly Nélisse is referring to when she says "we were all back home." It'd have been one thing if she'd only been talking about herself, indicating that young Shauna wouldn't be around. But it sounds like she could be saying none of the past-timeline cast is involved. Otherwise, it's kind of difficult to ascertain what grouping she might be referring to so non-specifically.
Then again, maybe she really was using a universal "We" that implies none of the series regulars were involved, with co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson working alongside one of the series' directors to craft a new chapter that sits completely outside the characters we know and love. It'd be completely understandable if it would have been impossible for the show's large ensemble to figure out a time where all of their schedules worked out perfectly for the limited shoot.
Does This Mean The Bonus Ep Is About The Cabin Man?
The idea that half or more of the series' cast may have been absent during the production process just makes my brain circle back around to the idea that Jason Ritter is playing the cabin corpse. Though obviously at a time when he was still alive, since that might make for pretty boring programming. One actor's schedule would be way easier to work around than a full cast, after all.
I like the idea of using the cabin man as a way to give audiences a peek into earlier experiences while inside the potentially haunted cabin with its mysterious dripping and bizarro weather patterns. Actually seeing it in action, as opposed to it being told via anecdotes or through journal entires, will give that setting even more importance within this dark universe, even if the soccer team will need to find a new roof to sleep under in Season 3.
When Does Yellowjackets Season 3 Start Filming?
Whether it's half or the whole cast that'll be missing from Yellowjackets' bonus ep, I think all fans would agree that the series won't really fell like it's back until Season 3 arrives with the full surviving cast in tow. I feel like I'm already going to forget how cute Van and Tai are by the time it's back. (An issue fixed by rewatching via Paramount+ subscription, but the point stands.) Thankfully, the next step in the process isn't so far away.
Sophie Nélisse confirmed that Season 3 will be back in action by mid-spring, saying:
Yeah, we start in like a month. . . . We haven't read any scripts. I don't know anything.
It's not exactly clear when the interview took place, but it's safe to assume that filming will start in late April at the earliest, and early May at the latest. And then hopefully more updates will start flowing like snow down those weird trees with the non-freezing moss.
Stay tuned for more info on when Yellowjackets will be back in front of our faces, even if half or more of the cast won't be involved. Check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what else will be popping up in full throughout the year.
