In a recent interview, Yellowjackets showrunner and co-creator Ashley Lyle reveals that the number of plane crash survivors was intentionally hidden.
In a recent interview, Yellowjackets showrunner and co-creator Ashley Lyle revealed that the number of plane crash survivors was intentionally hidden. Lyle created the Showtime series alongside Jonathan Lisco and Bart Nickerson. Yellowjackets follow the survivors of a 1996 plane crash during their time in the wilderness, as well as the event’s repercussions on their older selves in the present day.
Divided between two time periods, Yellowjackets season 1 follows a group of high school soccer team players who survive a horrific plane crash, leaving them to fend for themselves in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months before being found. The series focuses on Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), Misty (Sammi Hanratty), and Jackie (Ella Purnell), following their ordeal in the forest, as well as its repercussions on their older selves in the present day. Present-day Shauna actress Melanie Lynskey has also revealed that other present-day survivor actors are being cast for Yellowjackets season 2, such as the present-day counterpart to Liv Hewson’s Van. And now, one showrunner has revealed why the true number of survivors was kept hidden in Yellowjackets eason 1.
In an interview with Variety, Lyle alongside Lisco and Nickerson, was asked whether the number of plane crash survivors was kept hidden intentionally. Lyle confirmed that while the number of survivors was kept intentionally vague, the funeral scene in episode 3 offered the closest hint to the true number of survivors. The showrunner stated then that she, Lisco, and Nickerson knew that they would want to expand the cast and explore the currently undefined characters in future seasons, so the true number was kept hidden in order to not complicate the production or hinder themselves later on. Check out Lyle’s full answer below.
“We were, yeah. I think that the most accurate depiction is in episode 3, where they’re holding the funeral… We knew that we were going to want to give ourselves some room to introduce some more characters in season 2 and potentially beyond. So it was a combination of being purposefully a little bit vague, and also just the production challenges. Because we already have a very large cast, and when you have people who are essentially going to be characters in the background who might grow later – it’s a very difficult thing to do.”
The names of Yellowjacket episode 1’s cannibal survivors were revealed when the pilot episode’s script was released and shared publicly, shedding some insight on the currently unexplored possible new characters that will play a part in the series’ darker winter storyline. In the pilot episode’s script, the masked cannibalistic survivor’s true identities are kept hidden, but they are each given distinct titles. The survivor’s titles include “The Hunter“, “The Butcher“, “The Overseer“, and “The Shamen“, with the final title hinting toward the series’ potential supernatural elements.
Yellowjackets has already delved into how the harrowing crash continues to loom over the lives of its older cast, and with the creators hinting at the casting of present-day Van and Lottie (Courtney Eaton), season 2 promises to explore less-defined characters. Lyle’s recent comments are sure to be embraced by dedicated fans, as while a definitive number of survivors may not have been given, it does show that the question may be addressed at a later date. With season 1 having an open-minded approach in regards to certain details, Yellowjackets has the potential to further redefine itself and shock audiences with twists and surprises.
Source: Variety
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