The Untamed Netflix thriller is stalking its way onto your watch list this summer, promising sweeping vistas, tense investigations, and a killer who knows Yosemite National Park better than the rangers who patrol it.
Starring Eric Bana and produced by a creative team with serious survival-story cred, the six-episode limited series lands July 17 2025.
Below, we break down the plot, cast, production team, and the real-world mysteries that inspired the show.
The High-Stakes Premise
At its core, the Untamed Netflix thriller is a character-driven mystery.
Bana’s Kyle Turner is an Investigative Services Branch (ISB) agent — essentially, an FBI agent for America’s national parks. When a brutal murder shatters Yosemite’s peace, Turner is forced to confront two daunting foes: a cunning killer hiding in the back-country and long-buried secrets from his own past.
Co-showrunner Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) explains that he wanted to “strip away the modern cheats.”
In Yosemite’s remote valleys, cell service is spotty, roads are few, and weather can turn murderous. That isolation forces Turner, and viewers, to rely on old-school detective work — reading tracks, studying wildlife patterns, and interpreting human psychology under extreme stress.
Meet the Main Cast
| Actor | Character | Why They Matter |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Bana | Kyle Turner | An elite ISB agent haunted by a past case. |
| Sam Neill | Paul Souter | Yosemite’s veteran chief ranger, a friend-and-foil to Turner. |
| Rosemarie DeWitt | Jill Bodwin | Turner’s ex-wife, whose insight cuts deeper than his own instincts. |
| Lily Santiago | Naya Vasquez | Rookie ranger from LA; our eyes and ears on Yosemite’s dangers. |
| Wilson Bethel | Shane Maguire | Solitary wildlife officer with secrets that might intersect the case. |
Bana doubles as executive producer, ensuring the Untamed Netflix thriller keeps one boot in realism and another in cinematic suspense. Meanwhile, Neill’s grizzled gravitas promises fireworks when Souter’s old-school rules collide with Turner’s by-the-book methods.
Behind the Camera: Wilderness Veterans
- Showrunners & Writers: Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith
Previous credits: The Revenant, American Primeval, The Marsh King’s Daughter - Executive Producers: John Wells, Escape Artists Entertainment, Bee Holder Productions
- Studio: Warner Bros. Television, co-producing with Netflix
Smith’s résumé alone makes the Untamed Netflix thriller worth attention. He penned The Revenant, which turned frozen brutality into Oscar gold. Expect similarly immersive environments here, but with the added twist of a whodunit.
Filming Yosemite Without Disturbing Yosemite
Productions can’t just stroll into a national park and start rolling cameras. Much of Untamed was shot on the park’s borders, with second-unit crews capturing authentic vistas under strict National Park Service guidelines. Interior scenes — ranger stations, back-country cabins — were built on soundstages that replicate granite walls and cedar floors down to the ring of a bear-proof garbage can.
The result? You’ll feel the spray of Vernal Fall without the production trampling sensitive habitats. It’s a win for verisimilitude and conservation.
Plot Threads to Watch (Spoiler-Free)
- The first victim’s clue
Evidence found near the body suggests an intimate knowledge of Yosemite’s off-trail routes. - Turner’s haunted backstory
Flashbacks hint at a past investigation that went horrifyingly wrong — and may be repeating. - Vasquez’s outsider perspective
Her big-city homicide tricks clash with wilderness tracking, but they might expose the killer. - Maguire’s isolation
Why does a former army ranger live miles from anyone? And what’s buried on his property?
Each episode of the Untamed Netflix thriller ends on a mini cliff-hanger, but the creators promise a “satisfying, complete” solution by Episode 6 — no waiting years for closure.
How Untamed Fits Netflix’s New Wave of Survival Mysteries
Untamed joins titles like American Primeval and Hold the Dark in Netflix’s growing catalog of survival-driven mysteries. The difference? Untamed trades Alaska snowfields for towering sequoias, layering eco-tourism commentary over classic crime beats. Expect discussions of overcrowded trails, wildfire risk, and the thin line between preserving nature and exploiting it.
Release Strategy & Episode Runtime
- Global Premiere: July 17 2025 (all six episodes)
- Average Runtime: 55 minutes per episode
- Binge Tip: Episodes 1–3 build tension; 4–6 go full thriller. Clear three hours if you start at night — you’ll finish the season.
Final Word
Whether you tune in for Bana’s brooding intensity, Sam Neill’s sage authority, or the sheer beauty of granite cliffs at dawn, the Untamed Netflix thriller is shaping up as a must-watch summer event. Pack your virtual backpack, silence your phone — it won’t work in Yosemite anyway — and prepare to hike into the darkest corners of America’s crown-jewel park.
Netflix will drop all episodes on July 17. Until then, brush up on your trail etiquette, lock up your bear canisters, and remember: the wilderness keeps secrets… but Kyle Turner is determined to dig them up.
