Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal intends to keep revolutionizing animation by changing its tested-and-approved formula for the upcoming Season 2. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about Primal, creator and director Genndy Tartakovsky underlined how the upcoming season will follow a different narrative structure, expanding on the prehistorical universe of the series to include other cultures and societies.
The first season of Primal followed a caveman named Spear, who developed an unexpected bounding with a T-Rex named Fang. The duo then crossed a dangerous pre-historical landscape together, fighting against other dinosaurs and savage primates. While the whole season focuses on the relationship between Spear and Fang, each episode presents a new challenge for the two friends to overcome. However, that’ll change for Season 2, as the Season 1 finale’s introduction of a human from a different culture, Mira, will change Primal’s universe to its core. As Tartakovsky explains it:
“The introduction of Mira gives light that there is more civilization out there that’s more advanced. Once you get to ancient civilizations, you go instantly to, like, ‘Pharaohs’, ‘Stargate’, ‘10,0000 BC’, all those movies. I realized everything we were talking about felt too cliché, too done. So we broke everything down and restarted, and came up with a direction that is more unique. It’s gonna keep you on your toes, and basically, from [episode] 11 to 20, it’s one story. That’s the big difference from the first season.”
Although Season 2 of Primal will follow a single story and involve many more humans, the series will keep exploring Spear’s and Fang’s unique bond. While Tartakovsky recognizes the series ultraviolence is one of its most significant selling points, the director knows that what keeps bringing fans back is the complex relationships the series creates even without using dialogues as a tool. As Tartakovsky clarifies, Season 2 will double down on these choices. As he puts it:
“It’s [Season 2] even more emotionally complex. The action is on a scale beyond what we’ve done, and it keeps getting amped up as we go deeper and deeper into the season. There’s shock in it. There’s a big surprise that’s either going to get people to hate me or enjoy it, but as a storyteller this is me having fun. It’s super Heavy Metal–ish. It’s still pulpy, but at its core the character story between Fang and Spear — it goes bonkers. That was the best surprise of the first season. It wasn’t the violence — it was their relationship that people picked up on. As a filmmaker and storyteller, that’s what you’re most excited about.”
The first episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal‘s Season 2 will air on Adult Swim on July 21 at midnight before it becomes available to stream on HBO Max the next day.
Check out the trailer for Season 2 below: