Is ‘Yellowjackets’ based on a true story?
Yellowjackets has returned for a second season, and some of its horrifying scenes have left fans wondering if it’s all based on true events.Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the mystery thriller series follows a girls’ football team in 1996 who, while travelling to a tournament in Seattle, crash-land in the Canadian wilderness and are left stranded for nineteen months. Between their attempts to survive, the show also jumps to their adult lives in the present day.Early episodes in the second season have introduced the show’s first acts of cannibalism, which were teased in the first run of episodes.The series’ first season received seven nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards last year, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci.Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Sammi Hanratty and Juliette Lewis also star in the series.New additions to the cast for season two include Lauren Ambrode (Six Feet Under) as the adult version of Vanessa Palmer, Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi) as the adult version of Courtney Eaton, and Elijah Wood (The Lord Of The Rings) as citizen detective Walter.While the show itself isn’t based on a true story, creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson have confirmed that it was partly inspired by two real-life events: The Donner Party and the 1972 Andes Flight Disaster.The Donner Party was a group of 19th century American pioneers who attempted to migrate to California from the Midwest on wagons.