Based on sheer popularity alone, a good majority of Taylor Sheridan fans will have the Yellowstone universe pegged as the very pinnacle of his oeuvre. Perhaps even Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario, maybe David Mackenzie’s Hell Or High Water (both of which he penned).
But it’s to our belief that Wind River, the film Sheridan considers to be his true directorial debut, is the man’s greatest masterpiece — and it’s finally getting a sequel with Wind River: The Next Chapter.
The original neo-western crime thriller paired Jeremy Renner as US Fish & Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert with Elizabeth Olsen as rookie FBI special agent Jane Banner, who are tasked with solving the sexual assault and murder of an Indigenous woman on Wyoming’s Wind River Indian Reservation. What they unravel turns out to be a sinister conspiracy.
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According to the official logline, the follow-up (previously titled Wind River: Rising) picks up as terror escalates on the Wind River reservation, and a series of ritualistic murders remains unsolved. The FBI enlists Chip Hanson (Martin Sensmeier), a newly minted tracker for the US Fish & Game, who becomes embroiled in a desperate and dangerous fight between the authorities, a vigilante, as well as the reservation he calls home.
So far, Sensmeier and Gil Birmingham are the only cast members from the first instalment set to return; the former’s character, Chip Hanson, being a drug addict and the brother of the murder victim Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Asbille) in Wind River, while the latter previously portrayed grieving father Martin Hanson.
They’re joined by positively stacked lineup comprised of Jason Clarke, Scott Eastwood, Chaske Spencer, Alan Ruck, Tatanka Means, as well as the star of the forthcoming True Detective season, Kali Reis.
Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, however, aren’t the only names missing from the call sheet.
This time around, Taylor Sheridan won’t be serving as either writer or director for the upcoming Wind River sequel. Concerning? Slightly.
Instead, the production will be helmed by Kari Skogland. You may be familiar with the Canadian filmmaker through such series’ as Boardwalk Empire, The Borgias, Vikings, House of Cards, The Walking Dead, The Handmaid’s Tale, and most recently, Marvel’s The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. The screenplay, on the other hand, has been accomplished by creative duo Patrick Massett and John Zinman (Friday Night Lights, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider).
As for producers, there’s Matthew George for Castle Rock Entertainment and Acacia Filmed Entertainment, Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for Thunder Road Pictures; with executive producers ranging from Castle Rock’s Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, and Derrick Rossi, to Jonathan Fuhrman, Courtney Shepard, and Hernan Narea.
Wind River: The Next Chapter wrapped up principal photography in Canada’s Calgary earlier this year towards late April, meaning the release date will probably be some time in early-to-mid 2024 — keep an eye out here for key updates (release date, trailer, etc).
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