A new miniseries explores the horrific events of September 11. No, not that September 11, the other one. Never heard about it? Read on…
How to watch American Primeval in Australia
American Primeval rides onto Netflix in Australia on January 9, 2025, with all six episodes dropping at once.
American Primeval: Miniseries
What is American Primeval about?
Set in Utah Territory in 1957, American Primeval details the bloody events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, when Mormon militiamen, led by Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee and disguised as Native Americans, murdered some 120 pilgrims travelling by wagon train to California. Why? Well, that’s complicated. Paranoia born out of religious oppression? Straight-up xenophobia?
Hard to say, but it’s a bloody mark on the history of the LDS Church. And further plot details are, well, absent. But we can tell you it’s written by Mark L. Smith, who also penned another gory story from American colonial history, The Revenant, and directed by the wildly uneven Peter Berg, who gave us the likes of Friday Night Lights, Hancock, and Mile 22.
The cast of Ameican Primeval
It’s a rock solid cast, with Taylor Kitsch as Isaac C. Haight, Betty Gilpin as Sara Rowell, Kim Coates as Mormon leader Brigham Young, Jai Courtney as Virgil Cutter, Shea Whigham as mountain man Jim Bridger, Dane DeHaan as Jacob Pratt, Saura Lightfoot-Leon as Abish Pratt, Kyle Bradley Davis as Tilly, Preston Mota as Devin Rowell, Nick Hargrove as Cottrell, Derek Hinkey as Red Feather, Mikandrew as Henry, Shawnee Pourier as Two Moons, Joe Tippett as James Wolsey, and Kevin Scott Allen as Louis. And the actual historical figures aside, we can’t tell you who those characters are, because Netflix won’t tell us.
American Primeval trailer
Why we’re excited about American Primeval
Hmm. Could go either way. On the one hand: fascinating and horrifying forgotten corner of history. On the other: a dearth of publicity that speaks to a lack of confidence in the final product. We shall see.
