Luke Hemsworth Steals The Terminal List Prequel From His Brother Chris

Another day, another Hemsworth throwing punches on Prime Video. Luke Hemsworth — yes, the eldest brother, the Westworld one — steps into The Terminal List: Dark Wolf and makes a strong case that the family action gene did not skip him.

What Dark Wolf actually is

This is a prequel to the 2022 series The Terminal List, based on Jack Carr's work, and it rewinds the clock on Taylor Kitsch's Ben Edwards. Before he was the guy with murky allegiances, he was a Navy SEAL transitioning into CIA life, with a lot of time in Iraq shaping the person he becomes.

If you forgot the setup from the original: Chris Pratt's James Reece survives a blown mission in Syria that wipes out his team, comes home, and then his family is murdered to shut him up. That show is Reece peeling back the layers of a very ugly conspiracy. Dark Wolf jumps years earlier to show how Edwards and Reece built their bond — and how Edwards made the choices that eventually turned him into a traitor. It is his tragic origin story, personal demons and all, told across seven episodes.

Luke Hemsworth, professional chaos agent

Luke shows up as Jules Landry, a CIA contractor with more biceps than patience. He gets dropped into a high-stakes op with Edwards and immediately clashes with the SEALs over how to do the job. Landry is brash, disruptive, and, under the swagger, dealing with sociopathic tendencies. He heads into the covert mission alongside Edwards and Raife Hastings (Tom Hopper), and the friction is kind of the point.

It is a very different lane from Hemsworth's steady Westworld presence as Ashley Stubbs, and he takes the shot like someone who has watched his brothers swing hammers and shoot arrows for a decade. Short version: he can hang.

'We are given license to be crazy as an actor. This is legalized insanity.'

Hemsworth told ComicBookMovie the on-set vibe matched the on-screen brotherhood:

'The brotherhood on this set is like nothing I've ever seen before.'

And he did not sugarcoat the parts of Landry that cross the moral line:

'It is always a challenge doing those things that are against your own moral compass, right? The way I deal with it is by making it about the other person. You are serving the script and storyline, so it is all gotta be done, but there are parts of it that are very, very uncomfortable. You are pushing those emotions down deep so they do not bubble out.'

Release, reception, and why this one clicks

Dark Wolf premiered August 27, 2025 on Prime Video, three years after the original series. Critics were kinder this time around: 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 84% audience score. It still brings the bruising action and late-episode rug pulls, but it also takes PTSD and combat trauma seriously, which gives the show some weight beneath the gunfire.

'If anything, Dark Wolf is even better than the original series, compulsively bingeable and striking a balance between grittiness and escapism.'

The quick rundown

• Where to watch: Prime Video
• Release date: August 27, 2025
• Format: 7 episodes, TV-MA
• Source/Franchise: The Terminal List, based on Jack Carr
• Creators/Writers: Jack Carr, David DiGilio
• Cast: Taylor Kitsch as Ben Edwards; Chris Pratt as James Reece; Luke Hemsworth as CIA contractor Jules Landry; Tom Hopper as Raife Hastings
• Genres: Action & Adventure, Drama, Thriller
• Vibe check: Prequel with more focus on character, still heavy on tactical action
• Scores: 71% Rotten Tomatoes (critics), 84% audience

Hollywood is full of dynasties — Barrymores, Skarsgards, Baldwins — and the Hemsworths have been on that list for a while. Luke being the eldest and the Westworld alum might make him the quiet one of the trio, but Dark Wolf is him cranking the volume. If you are into the original series, or just want a tense spy-SEAL mashup with some actual character work, this one is an easy binge.