Yellowjackets BTS Photo Suggests Ella Purnell May Return for Season 3

A beachside photo shared by Ella Purnell seemingly confirms that the Yellowjackets‘ actor has returned to the show’s Vancouver set for Season 3, which has fans fittingly buzzing with anticipation.  

The photograph in question is of Ella Purnell and fellow Yellowjackets actor Abbie Jenkins shared to the latter’s private Instagram story with the blurb: “Back to our usual bullshit.” The speculation storm kicked into high gear when Purnell then reshared the post on her public feed. Since the Yellowjackets‘ fanbase is full of Misty Quigley-tier citizen detectives, it took no time at all for social media users to deduce that the two Yellowjackets actors were in Vancouver, Canada, the hit Showtime series’ filming location. Though Purnell quickly deleted the Instagram story in question, Pandora’s Box had already been opened for Yellowjackets‘ conspiracy-minded fanbase.

Spoiler Warning: The following content contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 2.

Season 3 of Yellowjackets began production back in May, keeping many of its secrets under wraps and leaving fans vulnerable to speculation. Though later Instagram posts from Purnell teased that she had a new project to announce, most fans were not swayed away from theorizing that her character Jackie Taylor will return on screen in Yellowjackets‘ third season. The captain of the Yellowjackets’ soccer team met a particularly gruesome end in Season 2, leading many to hope that she will return either in flashbacks or as a ghostly visage from beyond the grave. There are no physical remains of Jackie left to exhume thanks to her carnivorous teammates, making the guilt card she carries into the afterlife particularly potent.

Despite Ella Purnell seemingly tipping off fans about her return, this news has not been officially confirmed by the actor or the Yellowjackets‘ team. Between the second seasons of Fallout and Arcane and her role in the prequel series to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, Purnell has maintained an undeniably busy television production schedule. Purnell’s demand contributed to the fan excitement when the actor was seemingly spotted in Vancouver but likewise played a role in those who pushed back against the assertion she’d be back for Season 3 of Yellowjackets without an official announcement from Showtime.

Purnell’s name has not only been trending thanks to Yellowjackets‘ theorists but also due to her exclusion from the 2024 Emmy Nominations. Fans of Prime’s Fallout adaptation felt strongly that Purnell’s performance as the upbeat Lucy ranked among the award ceremonies’ most notable snubs. Lucy certainly proved herself a stronger survivalist than Yellowjackets‘ Jackie Young, which will hopefully give the actor another shot at Emmy gold when she returns in Fallout‘s second season.

Yellowjackets is available to stream on Paramount+.