Remember “The Revenant?” The Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio starrer? Well, National Geographic is kind of hoping you don’t, because their latest historical fiction series, “Barkskins,” has a very similar vibe.
An eight-episode adaptation of the bestselling novel by Anne Proulx, “Barkskins” is all about the tension between new settlers and the indigenous population of Wobik, now Quebec, and how it results in an all-out war in 1690s New France. The show features vast and dangerous landscapes, David Thewlis talking about how man shouldn’t mess with God’s land because it results in very bad times for everyone, and a whole lot of “throat-slittings, lies, and landgrabs” to quote the trailer.
The show promises to be just what fans of Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s “The Revenant” have been waiting for, a new drama focusing on humanity’s struggles to survive in an uncharted and dangerous landscape. National Geographic is hoping to appeal to fans of the Oscar-winning film, as “Barkskins” will premiere having a special presentation of “The Revenant” as a lead-in. The eight episodes will air with back-to-back episodes for four weeks.
This is the show’s synopsis:
The series is set in Wobik, a small settlement in what is now the Canadian province of Quebec. As the Catholic Church sends Jesuit priests to convert the indigenous people, France sends indentured servants to populate its territory, along with “Filles Du Roi” (“Daughters of the King”), young women to be matched with husbands, start families, and help the colonies prosper. This disparate group of outcasts, rogues, and innocents must navigate brutal hardships, competing interests, and tangled loyalties at the crossroads of civilization: 1690s New France.
“Barkskins” also stars Marcia Gay Harden and is created by Elwood Reid. The show airs May 25 on National Geographic and will see a next-day airing on Hulu. Watch the trailer below.
