American Primevalfans take heed. Seven months after the gritty throwback Western series premiered onNetflix, acclaimed writer Mark L. Smith is exploring the great outdoors once again. This time, Smith and his daughter Ellie have createdUntamed, a six-part miniseries slated to premiere on Netflix on July 03, 2025.
A perfect summer thriller,Untamedfollows a National Park Service Ranger who must investigate the grisly death of a visitor in Yosemite. The star-studded cast is led byEric Bana, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Wilson Bethel, and Lily Santiago. Aside fromAmerican Primeval,Mark L. Smith brings experience from a wealth of stories set in the wild toUntamed, including the three-time Oscar-winning survival taleThe Revenant. Few writers have more authority on frontier living, the great outdoors, and man-versus-nature conflicts than Smith.
‘Untamed’ Is Netflix’s Newest Limited Series
What Is ‘Untamed’ About?
Untamedis a limited Netflix original series slated to air all six episodes on June 25, 2025. Created by Ellie and Mark L. Smith, the story is set in contemporary Yosemite National Park in California. When a park visitor’s body is found torn to shreds,U.S. National Park Service special investigative agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) is tasked with leading an investigation to determine if humans or wild animals are responsible.
As Turner ventures through the dense woods to find the killer, he uncovers buried secrets and hidden truths about the park that lead him to reconcile with his mysterious past.Sam Neill plays Paul Souter, the superior park ranger who knows the land like the back of his hand, and uses his experience to help solve the central crime. Rosemarie DeWitt plays Jill Bodwin, Turner’s ex-wife and former park counselor, who has since remarried and maintains an amicable relationship with Turner.
Helping Turner uncover the truth about the dead body in Yosemite is Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago), a police officer from Los Angeles, newly assigned to Yosemite. Along with Shane Maguire (Wilson Bethel), a former army soldier turned Yosemite wildlife manager, Turner, Souter, and Vasquez make a formidable crew. Yet, despite the stellar ensemble, the main draw forUntamedremains Mark L. Smith and his outdoor expertise.
Mark L. Smith Is a Master of Man-vs-Nature Storytelling
Mark L. Smith is a celebrated scribe who has built an impressive resume over the past 20 years. After gaining attention for writing and directing the effective 2006 horror movieSeance, Smith has gravitated toward telling storiesset in the wildand the great outdoors. After penning scripts forVacancyandVacancy 2, Smith worked with the great Joe Dante on the 2009 movieThe Hole, a kiddie horror flick set in rural Oregon about a bottomless pit in a child’s backyard.
As Smith continued to work with A-list filmmakers on stories about man fighting against nature, he reached the pinnacle of success with 2015’sThe Revenant, a 12-time Oscar nominee and three-time winner, including honors for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Director (Alejandro G. Iñárritu), and Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki). Of course,The Revenantconcerns Hugh Glass being mauled to near-death by a bear, a vicious survival tale that could have been titledUntameditself.
Best Eric Bana Movies, Ranked
From Munich to Ang Lee’s Hulk, these are Eric Bana’s best movies, ranked.
BeyondThe Revenant, Smith continued to expand his outdoor wildlife storytelling. In 2023, he wrote the underrated Neil Burger suspense thrillerThe Marsh King’s Daughter, which was filmed in the Kawartha Lakes of Ontario, Canada. The same year, Smith scriptedThe Boys in the Boatfor George Clooney, a true story about the University of Washington rowing team and their push for the Olympic Games.
Among Canada, Washington, and Oregon, Smith appears most comfortable telling stories set in the wide open expanse of the Pacific Northwest. He has become an expert at telling survival stories and tales of perseverance set in and around the woods, the wild, the water, and now, the dense woodland of Yosemite National Park.
Moving away from the West Coast, however, Smith continued the trend ofman-vs-nature thrillersby writingTwisters, the successful sequel to the 1996 original about devastating tornadoes ravaging the Midwest. Once the swirling dust fromTwisterscleared, Smith returned to the west to writeAmerican Primevalfor director Peter Berg.For those who enjoyed the ruthless clash in the 1857 Utah War inAmerican Primeval, or any other Smith story set in the great outdoors,Untamedis the place to be this July.
Why ‘American Primeval’ Fans Need To Watch ‘Untamed’
WhileUntamed’s primary appeal remains Mark L. Smith’s wilderness specialty, there are plenty more attractions to compel viewers this summer.Firstly, bothAmerican PrimevalandUntamedare six-part limited series executive-produced by Smith. Both are deliberately self-contained, do not feature unnecessary filler, and can be binged in a day or two. Those who consumedAmerican Primevalin one gulp will quench their thirst with Untamed just the same.
Secondly, the setting is ideal for a summertime series. Never mind Smith’s bona fide track record of telling outdoor survival tales; the vicarious opportunity to travel to Yosemite and witness the glorious grandeur of nature is hard to beat. As someone who has spent time in the park and seen Half Dome and its magnificent waterfalls up close in real life, few places on Earth conjure such awe-inspiring splendor. Even when Canadian filming locations in Maple Ridge and Chip Kerr Park stand in for Yosemite, the resplendent result is the same.
‘American Primeval’ Is Bloody, Brutal, and Based on Actual Events From History
The true story is even more gripping than the new Netflix miniseries.
Thirdly, for those on the fence about watchingJurassic World: Rebirthon the big screen, or who are worried that nosequel will ever top the originalJurassic Park,seeing Sam Neill back in a massive wildlife park as an existential threat lurks about holds nostalgic appeal indeed. And what aboutYellowstonefanatics? Hardcore fans of the hit Taylor Sheridan melodramatic Western, who were drawn to the sprawling Montana ranch, are sure to find peace and tranquility in Yosemite. At least, until more murder and mayhem ensues.
Between Mark L. Smith’s proven filmography, the similar format and structure ofAmerican Primeval, the attraction of Yosemite National Park and all its natural beauty, and a terrific cast led by Bana, Neill, and DeWitt,Untamedis poised to be Netflix’s best miniseries this summer.Untamedpremieres on Netflix on August 16, 2025.
