The Ultimate Yellowjackets Season 3 Casting Guide: New Survivors, Shocking Adult Reveals, And Who Hilary Swank Is Actually Playing

The wait is finally over: After production delays and months of intense fan speculation, the most crucial casting secrets for Yellowjackets Season 3 have been officially confirmed. As of this current date in December 2025, we have definitive answers on two major new characters, including the identity of the two-time Oscar winner joining the adult survivor group, and the emergence of a previously unseen survivor from the wilderness timeline. This new information promises to completely re-contextualize the present-day narrative, pushing Shauna, Misty, Taissa, and Natalie into their wildest, most desperate situation yet.

The highly anticipated third season, which officially began filming in May 2024, is set to premiere in February 2025, and the new additions to the ensemble cast are already generating a massive buzz. The core mystery of who survives the wilderness is deepening, and the addition of these new faces suggests the adult survivors’ carefully constructed world is about to shatter.

The Confirmed Yellowjackets Season 3 Cast and Character Roster

The genius of Yellowjackets lies in its dual-timeline structure, requiring two actors for every core survivor. Season 3 sees the return of all key players in both the 1996 wilderness timeline and the present-day timeline, ensuring the narrative threads left dangling at the end of Season 2 are picked up immediately. The following is a complete list of the main ensemble cast confirmed to return, alongside the pivotal new and recurring additions.

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• Melanie Lynskey as Adult Shauna Shipman
• Sophie Nélisse as Teenage Shauna Shipman
• Tawny Cypress as Adult Taissa Turner
• Jasmin Savoy Brown as Teenage Taissa Turner
• Christina Ricci as Adult Misty Quigley
• Sammi Hanratty as Teenage Misty Quigley
• Simone Kessell as Adult Lottie Matthews
• Courtney Eaton as Teenage Lottie Matthews
• Lauren Ambrose as Adult Vanessa "Van" Palmer
• Liv Hewson as Teenage Vanessa "Van" Palmer
• Sophie Thatcher as Teenage Natalie Scatorccio
• Steven Krueger as Coach Ben Scott
• Warren Kole as Jeff Sadecki (Shauna's husband)
• Sarah Desjardins as Callie Sadecki (Shauna's daughter)
• Kevin Alves as Teenage Travis Martinez
• Jenna Burgess as Teenage Melissa

The return of Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) to the 1996 timeline is particularly significant, as the finale of Season 2 saw him escape the cabin and attempt to burn it down. His survival and subsequent actions will undoubtedly fuel the growing savagery among the stranded team members.

The Shocking New Adult Survivor: Hilary Swank as Melissa/Kelly

The biggest casting bombshell for Yellowjackets Season 3 is the addition of Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank. After months of intense speculation about which adult survivor she would play—with theories ranging from an adult Mari to a completely new character—it has been confirmed that Swank is playing the adult version of Melissa.

This reveal is a game-changer for several reasons. Teenage Melissa (Jenna Burgess) was a peripheral character in the wilderness timeline, known for being one of the more outspoken, yet less central, members of the team. Her survival into adulthood was never confirmed, and her emergence now completely upends the established group dynamic of Shauna, Misty, Taissa, Van, and Lottie.

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The Melissa/Kelly Twist

Further reports suggest Hilary Swank's character may now be going by the name Kelly in the present-day timeline, possibly indicating she has gone to extreme lengths to distance herself from the traumatic events of the past. The new adult survivor, Melissa/Kelly, is set to enter the narrative with a major twist, with some reports indicating she will be introduced in a tense confrontation with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey).

The introduction of a new adult survivor—one who was thought to be a non-factor—raises critical questions about the true survival count, who else might be out there, and what secrets Melissa/Kelly has been keeping for the past two decades. Her presence will likely expose new fault lines and betrayals among the original core group, potentially changing everything we thought we knew about the present-day timeline and the pact they made to keep their secrets.

The New Wilderness Survivor: Ashley Sutton as Hannah

Another major casting announcement that fuels the curiosity-based intention of the show is the addition of Ashley Sutton, who plays a previously unmentioned survivor named Hannah. Sutton, who had actually auditioned for the original pilot five years ago, joins the cast in a pivotal role for Season 3.

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Hannah is described as a "new survivor" who makes a "wild Season 3 Intro," suggesting she was one of the Yellowjackets who made it out of the wilderness but was never part of the core group's adult circle. This reveal is significant because it confirms that the show is not done introducing *new* survivors from the crash, meaning the total number of people who made it out is higher than previously thought.

This casting choice opens up a new avenue for storytelling in the 1996 timeline. Hannah's presence will force the writers to explore how the team’s descent into cannibalism and ritualistic behavior affected those on the periphery. Was Hannah an observer, a participant, or a victim of the growing madness? Her story will likely provide a fresh, outsider perspective on the escalating violence and the rise of the "Antler Queen" dynamic.

Topical Authority: Plot Implications and LSI Keywords

The casting news for Yellowjackets Season 3 is not just about new faces; it's a direct signal about the show's direction, heavily influencing the plot and the exploration of key themes. The addition of Adult Melissa/Kelly (Hilary Swank) suggests a focus on betrayal and the fragility of the Yellowjackets' pact.

The core adult survivors—Shauna Shipman, Taissa Turner, Misty Quigley, Van Palmer, and Lottie Matthews—have always operated under the assumption that their secret was safe and that only they remained. Melissa/Kelly's emergence could mean legal trouble, blackmail, or a complete breakdown of their shared history. It forces a new examination of the present-day cover-up and the psychological toll of their shared trauma.

Simultaneously, the introduction of Hannah (Ashley Sutton) in the wilderness timeline ensures that the survival horror elements remain central. The Yellowjackets Season 3 plot is expected to delve deeper into the extreme cold of winter, the growing hunger, and the dangerous shifts in the group’s internal power structure. With the writers’ room reopening in September 2023, the creators have promised a season that is even darker and more intense, with the new casting choices acting as catalysts for this escalating chaos.

Fans should prepare for a season that not only resolves the immediate cliffhangers—such as the fate of Coach Ben Scott and the immediate aftermath of Natalie’s (Sophie Thatcher) ascension to the Antler Queen role—but also fundamentally redefines the scope of the Yellowjackets lore by introducing new survivors who challenge the established narrative. The Yellowjackets Season 3 premiere in February 2025 is poised to be the most explosive yet, driven by these shocking new casting reveals.