Is Netflix's Untamed based on a true story?
Eric Bana is investigating a grisly murder in the six-part thriller.
When a young woman goes over the edge of Yosemite's El Capitan, a sheer granite monolith that's 2.5 times as tall as the Empire State Building, Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), who works for the National Park's Investigative Services Branch (ISB), is determined to find out what really happened to her in Netflix's Untamed.
Turner instantly clocks that there's more to her death than initially meets the eye, but as he digs deeper to uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath Yosemite's majestic grandeur, his own secrets also threaten to bubble to the surface and destabilise everything.
"When I read it, I just felt like this was such a unique mix of murder mystery with incredible characters, but set in the most epic location," Bana told ComingSoon.net.
"I just felt like I haven’t seen this before. I’m familiar with the genre, I’m familiar with this or that, but I hadn’t seen that kind of marriage of all those elements together... and then playing with the level of reveal and the level of drama... over the six episodes was a great challenge, but a lot of fun."
Given just how many modern dramas are based on true stories, and the level of authenticity established by co-creators Mark L Smith (American Primeval, The Revenant) and his daughter Elle Smith (The Marsh King’s Daughter), you might have found yourself wondering how Untamed came to be.
Read on to find out if the Netflix thriller is based on real events.
Is Netflix's Untamed based on a true story?
While the plot of Untamed is a work of fiction, co-creators Mark L Smith and Elle Smith were inspired to write the series after being sent articles about the National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch, according to the Los Angeles Times, which the publication describes as "part FBI and part park ranger".
As part of his research, Bana also spoke to park rangers and people who work for the ISB, who told him "just how crazy" their jobs can be.
"When you mix drugs, when you mix people coming from all kinds of different backgrounds and having different entitlements to the places that they’re in, it’s really interesting," said Bana.
In an interview with HeyUGuys, Bana also said one former ISB Agent was able to paint a picture of how "the hierarchy worked and their interactions with the rangers and how they work together".
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ISB agents "carry out a wide range of investigative and law enforcement activities for parks and regional offices across the National Park System," according to its official website, working with park rangers out in the field.
The cases they look at include drug cultivation, violent crimes, fraud and major property crimes, among others.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
