‘Untamed’ Season 2 Goes Island-Authentic With Hawaii Filming and Blessing Ceremony
Mystery-drama Untamed is trading the mountains of California for the beaches and volcanoes of Hawai’i.
Season 2 of the Netflix series, which stars Eric Bana as national park ranger Kyle Turner, is currently in production on location in Oahu and on the island of Hawai’i.
Why ‘Untamed’ Season 2 will feature a new setting
The first season of Untamed followed Special Agent Turner as he investigated a mysterious death in Yosemite National Park. While the show was originally intended as a limited series, its success led to Netflix ordering another season. Rather than stick with Yosemite, the show’s creators decided to shake things up by having Turner, who is part of the park service’s Investigative Services Branch, move to a new location within the National Parks system. (Such moves are not uncommon for real-life ISB agents.)
In season 2, Turner – who left Yosemite at the end of season 1 – is called to investigate a mysterious death in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, where local tensions and the volatile, living landscape become an unpredictable force, according to Tudum.
“This won’t be the first park he’s been in since Yosemite,” showrunner Mark L. Smith said. “He’s been to a lot of parks. He’s been busy, taking on a lot of cases. This will be the latest, and it’ll be more impactful for him.”
Turner will be out of his comfort zone on the Big Island, Smith added.
“Turner was so comfortable in Yosemite,” he said. “He was the one leading this charge, and people followed him. And now, [we’re] putting Kyle on his back foot, making him very uncomfortable. This time we get to follow Turner into a park and let him lead us, and we stumble along with him as he’s kind of finding his way.”
“Each national park has such a different cultural identity, geographical identity,” showrunner Elle Smith told Tudum. “Being able to explore those places through the case and through Turner’s journey is what’s so fascinating [about] getting to choose a new park.”
Governor of Hawai’i welcomes ‘Untamed’ with blessing ceremony
Hawai’i has welcoming the Untamed cast and crew to the state with open arms. On February 25, Governor Josh Green joined Bana and others for a traditional blessing ceremony, he shared on Instagram.
“Film has always been an important part of Hawaiʻi’s story — sharing our people, culture and landscapes with audiences around the world while creating real opportunities here at home,” Green wrote on Instagram.
“It was great to join the blessing for Untamed alongside talented creatives like Eric Bana and filmmaker John Wells, whose commitment to storytelling and connection to our islands help bring authenticity to the screen,” he continued. “Productions like this support local crews, small businesses and working families, strengthening Hawaiʻi’s creative economy from behind the camera to communities statewide. Mahalo to the entire cast and production team for choosing Hawaiʻi — we’re proud to welcome you and excited to see our islands shine on screen once again.”
As Green noted, Netflix’s decision to film Untamed in Hawai’i is boost for the state’s film and TV industry, which had gone through a dry spell following the end of shows like Hawaii 5-0, Magnum P.I., NCIS: Hawai’i, and Rescue HI-Surf.
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