Mark L. Smith and Director Peter Berg bring us a new look at the early struggles in the American landscape. American Primeval is a six-episode series that stars Taylor Kitsch (Isaac), Betty Gilpin (Sara Rowell), Dane DeHaan (Jacob Pratt), Saura Lightfoot-Leon (Abish Pratt), Kim Coates (Brigham Young), Derek Hinkey (Red Feather), Joe Tippett (James Wolsey), Jai Courtney (Virgil Cutter), Preston Mota (Devin Rowell), Shawnee Pourier (Two Moons), and Shea Whigham (Jim Bridger). Netflix has just released the trailer for the historical drama.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“This is America…1857. Up is down, pain is everywhere, innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear. Peace is the shrinking minority, and very few possess grace — even fewer know compassion. There is no safe haven in these brutal lands, and only one goal matters: survival. AMERICAN PRIMEVAL is a fictionalized dramatization and examination of the violent collision of culture, religion, and community as men and women fight and die to keep or control this land. TV-MA.
From director/executive producer Pete Berg, writer/creator/executive producer Mark L. Smith, and executive producers Eric Newman and Alex Gayner, AMERICAN PRIMEVAL stars Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier, and Shea Whigham. Julie O’Keefe is Indigenous Cultural Consultant and Project Advisor. Artisans include: Hovia Edwards-Yellowjohn (Shoshone Bannock-Navajo), Pete Yellowjohn (Shoshone Bannock), Georgette Running Eagle (Shoshone Bannock), Robert Perry, Kugee Supernaw (Quapaw and Osage) and Son Supernaw (Quapaw-Osage and Caddo), Joe Cheshawalla (Osage) Debbie Cheshawalla (Choctaw), Molly Murphy Adams (Oglala Lakota).”
Berg told Netflix, “We are very appreciative that Netflix is trusting us to take a big swing with American Primeval. I’m looking forward to taking viewers into the most dynamic, intense, and heart-pounding survival tale humanly possible. We are going into the belly of the beast.” The series is Berg’s premiere project under his first-look deal with the streamer, and Mark L. Smith looks to continue his illustration of the gritty and raw atmosphere of old America as he did with The Revenant. American Primeval also marks the second collaboration between Berg, Newman, and Kitsch, who all worked together on the limited series Painkiller, which premiered on Netflix in 2023.