Showtime has given a series order to the drama “Yellowjackets,” Variety has learned.
The show was originally ordered to pilot at the premium cabler last September. The cast for the one-hour series is led by Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, and Tawny Cypress. It also stars Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Sophie Nélisse, Steven Krueger, and Jasmin Savoy Brown.
It hails from Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. Both will also executive produce and serve as showrunners, with Jonathan Lisco joining the series as executive producer and co-showrunner. Lisco most recently developed “Animal Kingdom” for TNT, serving as showrunner and executive producer on that series as well. Production on “Yellowjackets” will start early next year in Vancover for a 2021 debut.
Described as equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama, “Yellowjackets” is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.
“’Yellowjackets’ is a genre-bending, riveting story told across time periods, exploring the journeys of these women at two of the most formative times in their lives,” said Jana Winograde, co-president of entertainment at Showtime. “We have an unbelievable cast, led by Juliette, Christina, Melanie and Tawny, in a series that’s going to leave you on the edge of your seat with every episode.”
Karyn Kusama directed the pilot and also serves as an executive producer, with Drew Comins of Creative Engine also executive producing. Entertainment One produces for Showtime.