Netflix‘s six-episode Western series American Primeval rustled up a formidable posse today with several actors joining the cast. Betty Gilpin (GLOW, Gaslit), Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Place Beyond the Pines), and Shea Whigham (Take Shelter, American Hustle) will star alongside Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Friday Night Lights), who leads the limited series. The project hails from Pete Berg, Eric Newman, and Mark L. Smith, with Berg directing all episodes. In addition to stepping behind the camera, Berg will executive produce through Film 44 alongside Newman via Grand Electric.
The plot for American Primeval explores the birth of the American West and the trials and tribulations surrounding race, land, community, and power. Each group believes they’re entitled to the natural splendor of the territory and are willing to spill blood to plant their flag. Maintaining control requires sacrifice, and some groups are more inclined to go to war than others.
In addition to the actors mentioned above, Jai Courtney (Terminator Gynisys, Suicide Squad), Kyle Bradley Davis (Dexter, American Horror Story), Nick Hargrove (Devotion, Charmed), Derek Hinkey (Walker: Independence), Saura Lightfoot Leon (Life After Life, Masters of the Air), Preston Mota (Asteroid City), and Shawnee Pourier (Stranger Things, Dark Winds) also star.
You’ll find character descriptions below:
In American Primeval, Kitsch plays Isaac, a traumatized man struggling to overcome his demons and find a reason to live. Gilpin plays Sara Rowell, a woman who stops at Fort Bridger while searching for a guide across the frontier for her and her son (Mota). Whigham plays Jim Bridger, a grizzled realist but a decent man, Jim Bridgers runs his namesake Fort, a popular stopping point for settlers and trappers.
Tippett will portray James Wolsey, a Mormon man leading a militia of men who don’t possess the moral code they claim they do. Courtney will play Virgil Cutter, a trapper and bounty hunter who sees opportunity in the naiveté of others. Davis will portray Tilly, one of Cutter’s trappers. Tilly is a nasty, dangerous man who doesn’t mind killing to get ahead and enjoys it when others fear him. Hargrove will play Cottrell, a young man that helps out around Fort Bridger and serves as Jim Bridger’s right hand.
Hinkey will portray Red Feather, the leader of a renegade group of Crow warriors known as the Wolf Clan. Leon will play Abish, a Mormon woman not content with being seen as the property of her husband, Jacob. Pourier will play Two Moons, a young girl who flees her village with a strong will and drive to survive at all costs.
Netflix is going big with the cast of American Primeval. Are you prepared to follow this ensemble into the heart of the American West? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
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