Amazon's Fallout Series Has Landed This Breakout Yellowjackets Star
The upcoming Amazon series based on the popular "Fallout" video game franchise just took another step closer to production, casting one of the lead roles with an actress from the recent hit horror Showtime series "Yellowjackets."
Amazon and "Fallout's" developer Bethesda Softworks first announced the series back in July 2020, and this is now the second cast member who's been announced. Last month, Walton Goggins ("Vice Principals," "Justified," "The Shield") was also cast in a lead role, although his character hasn't yet been specified.
Otherwise, little is still known about the "Fallout" TV series. It still doesn't have a release date, and plot details haven't been announced. If it's based on one or more of the games, most likely the TV series would be set around the year 2077, decades after a devastating nuclear war in the United States. It would presumably follow a resident of an underground Vault-Tec survival vault, who emerges into a post-apocalyptic world. The games are known for their open-world gameplay, so it will be interesting to see how a linear TV show handles that aspect of the adaptation (or doesn't).
So, the announcement of a second cast member is welcome news. Even better, we might know who she'll be playing.
Yellowjackets' Jackie will be heading to the post-apocalypse
As reported by Deadline, Ella Purnell has been cast in the upcoming Amazon Studios "Fallout" TV series. Purnell previously played Jackie, the Yellowjackets' popular and charismatic team captain. Not to spoil anything for those who haven't seen "Yellowjackets," but Jackie most likely won't be playing a major role in Season 2, if she appears at all. That leaves Purnell open to star on a new TV series.
The Deadline report also noted that while Purnell's role hasn't been specified, it's likely she'll be playing the role of "Jean," who's described as "A young woman with a can-do attitude who may be hiding a dangerous secret."
Recently, Purnell starred in Zack Snyder's Netflix movie "Army of the Dead," which won the #OscarsFanFavorite award. She played Kate Ward, the estranged daughter of main character Scott Ward (Dave Bautista). She also had the lead role in the "Starz" series "Sweetbitter," which was based on Stephanie Danler's novel about a young woman who gets her dream job at an upscale New York restaurant, but struggles with the fast-paced, hard-partying lifestyle.