“It needed to be on my shoulders”: Taylor Sheridan Couldn’t Live With Himself if His 1 Movie Had Failed Without Him Being the Director

SUMMARY

• Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed Wind River, a project he considers his first true directorial debut.
• The filmmaker wanted to helm the movie himself in hopes of keeping the message and vision intact.
• Sheridan would rather leave the film unmade than let other directors handle the project.

Taylor Sheridan wanted to send a strong message when he wrote and directed Wind River, one of the trilogy films that examine the state of the American frontier. It revolves around a brutal assault that took place on a remote Native American reservation during wintertime in Wyoming.

Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner in Wind River / Credits: The Weinstein Company

With Marvel alums Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in the lead, the film was a critical and commercial success. Sheridan was very familiar with the subject he chose to work on, and it was because of a personal reason he decided to push for it.

Taylor Sheridan planned to direct Wind River from the get-go

Wind River is the final installment in Taylor Sheridan’s acclaimed trilogy featuring American frontiers. The first two films, Sicario and Hell or High Water, were helmed by Denis Villeneuve and David Mackenzie, respectively. The third movie was very important for Sheridan that he decided to take the wheel himself.

While speaking with Esquire, the renowned filmmaker said he planned to bring Wind River to the big screen the exact way he envisioned it. He was ready as well if the movie would not hit the mark.

Wind River is such a personal story, and I wanted to make sure it was handled exactly the way I thought it needed to be because of what it was dealing with. If it didn’t work, it needed to be on my shoulders.

The director revealed he chose the Wind River Indian Reservation as the setting because of the issue of violence and its impact on the region. With winter as the most oppressive period of the year, he thought it was the perfect time to tell a harrowing story of murder when the people are stuck in that area.

Elizabeth Olsen in Wind River / Credits: The Weinstein Company

He knew so much about reservations as he grew up reading lots of books about them. Sheridan stayed in the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota in his late 20s so he had firsthand experience of what it was like to live in a place where injustices happen and the media just actively ignores them.

It’s pretty clear why Sheridan didn’t want others to handle the film for the very reason he wrote it. He had firmly decided long ago that it’s his job to make it happen no matter the outcome.

Taylor Sheridan would rather drop Wind River than let others direct it

Taylor Sheridan / Credits: CBS News

Sheridan made a promise to the friends he met on the reservation that the movie was going to be the way it was originally intended. He told Interview Magazine that he “would rather it not get made than be made with another director.”

He was worried about the vision getting diluted and the message possibly being altered if another filmmaker would take the reins. It’s a significant project for him as well since he considers Wind River as his true directorial debut. Overall, Sheridan is satisfied and proud of the work he did on the film.

Wind River is currently available to watch on Netflix.

Written by Ariane Cruz

Articles Published: 2858

Ariane Cruz, Senior Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about the latest movies and series. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.