Fans of the Showtime series Yellowjackets are just days away from getting to watch the first episode of season 2 (read our review HERE), which is scheduled to begin airing on Showtime on March 26th (or you can catch it streaming and On Demand two days earlier, on March 24th). A third season of the show has already been ordered… and there might be more to look forward to beyond the new seasons. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Yellowjackets creators / showrunners Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson revealed that they have ideas for spinoffs as well.
Chris McCarthy, a former Paramount Global executive who joined Showtime last year, has made it very clear that he’s interested in building franchises. During his time at Paramount, McCarthy was credited with growing Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise, and now he intends to do the same for Showtime properties. There are multiple spinoffs from the show Billions in development, including Millions and Trillions. The show Dexter is getting a prequel series called Dexter: Origins, a new season of Dexter: New Blood, and possibly more spinoffs that focus on other characters from the show, including the Trinity Killer. So it’s a good thing Lyle and Nickerson already have Yellowjackets spinoff ideas in mind.
When asked if they’re ready to be pushed for a spinoff by Showtime, Lyle replied, “We’re aware that it’s something they’re interested in, and we certainly aren’t closed off to the idea. It would have to make sense. We have a couple of ideas.“
We’ll just have to wait and see if Showtime wants to bring those Yellowjackets spinoff ideas to the screen.
Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis star in Yellowjackets, which is is described as “equal parts survival epic, horror story, and coming-of-age drama.” The story centers on a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series will chronicle their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
Created, written, executive produced by Lyle and Nickerson, the series also stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Steven Krueger, Amy Okuda, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Courtney Eaton, and Liv Hewson. New cast additions in Yellowjackets season 2 include Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), Lauren Ambrose (Servant), Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Nicole Maines (Supergirl), François Arnaud (The Borgias), Nia Sondaya (Truth Be Told), and guest star Jason Ritter (Freddy vs. Jason).
Ricci and Hanratty play the present and teenage versions of Misty, “the Yellowjackets’ equipment manager. Eager to please and easy to overlook, Misty’s abundance of team spirit belies a hidden dark side.” Lewis plays the present day version of a character named Natalie, with Sophie Thatcher playing the teenage Natalie. “Despite her natural talent, Natalie’s punk rock spirit and habit of finding trouble make her the unlikeliest member of the team. As an adult, Natalie struggles to quiet the demons that still haunt her from her time in the wilderness.” Purnell’s character is Jackie, “the Yellowjackets’ magnetically charismatic, effortlessly popular, occasionally entitled team captain.” Lynskey and Nelisse are the present and teen versions of a character named Shauna. “25 years later, Shauna is on a mission to reclaim her agency — her life — while doing everything in her power to keep her darkest secrets safe.” Krueger plays Ben Scott, “the assistant coach and the object of many an unrequited crush.” Okuda is Cat Wheeler, “a history teacher recruited to bolster the female presence on the coaching staff, despite knowing literally nothing about soccer.” Cypress and Brown are both playing the character Taissa, “the star player on the Yellowjackets squad; now, 25 years later, her political ambitions threaten to derail the survivors’ pact of secrecy.” Hewson and Ambrose play Yellowjackets team member Van. Eaton and Kessell play team member Lottie, who was forced to go off her anti-psychotic medication after the plane crash. Maines is playing Lisa, “an associate of Adult Lottie, who is trying to recover from past trauma”. Arnaud is playing Paul, “a New York writer and secret boyfriend of Coach Scott who reminds Coach Scott of what might have been”. Sondaya replaces Keeya King as Teen Akilah. Wood’s character is Walter, “a dedicated Citizen Detective”.
Are you a Yellowjackets fan, and would you like to see the show spawn spinoffs? Share your thoughts on this idea by leaving a comment below.