Like much of America’s blood-soaked past, American Primeval is based on the very real Mountain Meadow Massacre of 1857 during the Utah War. The war was fought between the Mormon settler militia, aided by the Paiute local Native American tribe, and the American Government. Each was vying for control of the land and wouldn’t hesitate to slice off a scalp to achieve that end. A wagon train containing 120 pioneers, mainly from Oklahoma travelling through to California, were killed in the conflict as they passed through the area.
The six episodes in the series are written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, The Midnight Sky) and co-executive produced by Eric Newman (Cowboy Cartel, Zero Day), Alex Gaynor (Beef, Godzilla), and Peter Berg (Painkiller, Boys In Blue).
The Mountain Meadow Massacre was a deeply unsettling and culturally intense period in the country’s history because few social and legal norms were followed in favor of unbridled hatred and fear. Compassion and peace were in short supply and this violent clash of culture, religion, and community is driven only by one law – kill or be killed.
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Eric Newman looks back on his days as a production assistant on Saturday Night Live in the 90s and the path that led him American Primeval. He also worked on Wayne’s World and Tommy Boy. Fast forward a few years and Newman worked on raw, gritty, and intensely honest stories such as Narcos and Griselda. The latter shows were based on true stories depicting various unsavoury aspects of American life.
Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch) and Sara Rowell ( Betty Gilpin) Photo by Justin Lubin/ Netflix
Newman recalls a review he read about Narcos, describing it as “pulp non-fiction.” This description stuck with him and he decided that’s how he was going to frame American Primeval.
As part of his film education shaping his tastes, he quotes the Australian war movie called Gallipoli (1981) directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson. Australian and New Zealand troops were sent to the front lines of WWI fighters and slaughtered en masse. It was a time of minimal information and such tragic events of national importance were easy to forget.
Eric Newman and Peter Berg had a similar intention for American Primeval. “We wanted to share information and history that maybe many people might forget. It was an opportunity to tell a story that was not nostalgic about our past.”
Their main mission was to capture the visceral brutality of the era. The first episode features savage killings and it only becomes more brutal with each episode. Newman jokes that Episode 1 is a rom-com compared to what comes next.
Mountain Meadows Massacre
Screenwriter Mark L. Smith read about the Mountain Meadows Massacre and was intrigued by it as an historical event. He suggested that if Eric Newman knew director/ executive producer Peter Berg,“It would make perfect sense” as his next project.
“I want to make a TV show about a hatchet,” Smith proclaimed. He had heard about the massacre and began to extensively research the event. The Morman Church hasn’t denied that the events took place, but they do maintain a monument at the site.
Devin Rowell (Preston Mota) Photo courtesy of Netflix
Newman and Berg also read some books on the matter. Interestingly, Newman’s readings were scathing of the Morman Church, while Berg’s less so. A sometimes contradictory account of events paved the way for interpretation.
Newman, Smith, and Berg understood the nuances of the time so they didn’t categorize any faction as heroes or villains. Mormons were viciously persecuted and violently banished from every place they tried to settle. For them, it was a matter of survival.
“We started our research, and it seemed like there was enough complexity to the issue to really build a show around it,” continues Newman.
Screenwriter Smith also understood the need for a personal, character-driven story to underpin the historical events. He did this through tracking fugitive Sara Rowell’s (Betty Gilpin) journey through the incredibly dangerous territory with her son Devin (Preston Mota). She claims she needs a ride to meet her husband in Cook’s Springs past the mountain range. She finds a reluctant guide Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch). Although this storyline was invented, it had to feel authentic and seamlessly integrate into the background facts of the massacre.
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Characters like Jim Bridger (Shea Wigham) are based on a real person who established Fort Bridger. Wild Bill Hickman (Alex Breaux), James Wolsey (Joe Tippett), and Abish (Lightfoot-Leon) are fictitious, but constructed from various historical accounts.
Filmed in New Mexico, American Primeval captures the essence of a Western movie. Sara Rowell has been described as a female Jeremiah Johnson. It depicts the grind, the dust, and the icy coldness of the unforgiving land and how it affects each character. The landscape is the characters and the characters are the landscape constantly tipping the balance.
Even in moments of relative peace, there’s an underlying uneasiness to illustrate the shaky, unsettled civilization without a solid foundation. Beyond the ruthless harshness, American Primeval still manages to find moments of tenderness and respite.
