The neo-Western crime thriller, Wind River, was Taylor Sheridan’s true directorial debut and starred Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. The duo played a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker and an FBI agent respectively, who investigate the death of Natalie Hanson. Sheridan had eyed Chris Pine at one point when Renner had become unavailable for the role. Luckily for Renner, Pine landed the role of Steve Trevor in the DCEU film, Wonder Woman.
Sheridan and Renner went on to create a film that would put Sheridan on the map of Hollywood. His project, Yellowstone, benefitted from the hype of Renner’s film. However, the Hawkeye actor’s casting also became a subject of controversy in the film.
Jeremy Renner Should Thank Wonder Woman For His Western Film With Taylor Sheridan
Jeremy Renner was Taylor Sheridan‘s original choice when he decided to venture into directing with the 2017 indie film, Wind River. However, Sheridan revealed that he had considered Chris Pine at one point for the role of tracker Cory Lambert after Renner went on to film Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. The 1923 creator had earlier served as the screenwriter in Pine’s Hell or High Water.
In an interview with Motion Pictures, Sheridan opened up about the events that led to Renner claiming back his role. He shared that he wanted Pine to do the role, but there were some issues with getting the financing for the film. During this time, Pine was offered a film that he couldn’t say no to. He was cast opposite Gal Gadot in DCEU’s Wonder Woman, written by Zack Snyder.
Suddenly, Pine became unavailable for the role. Sheridan shared that actors did these big superhero movies because they wanted the freedom to create smaller indie films. However, he shared that it wasn’t the case with Pine. Interestingly, both his leads in the final film, Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, were attached to the MCU at the time. Sheridan shared with Motion Pictures:
Jeremy was originally going to do it. But then Arrival came along. I love Chris and I wanted him to do it. But it took so long to get financing that he became unavailable because of Wonder Woman. The irony is the reason these actors take superhero roles is to give them the freedom to do smaller films.
The indie film managed to make $45 million against a mere $11 million budget (via The Numbers). In comparison, Pine’s Wonder Woman made a whopping $824 million (via Box Office Mojo). Both Renner and Sheridan were happy with how the movie ended up performing in the theaters.
While Sheridan became a stalwart in Western projects, Renner got to do his post-MCU hit, Mayor of Kingstown, with the creator.
Taylor Sheridan Was Not Happy With The Criticism Against Jeremy Renner-led Wind River
Taylor Sheridan’s film had a strong theme as it tackled the atrocities committed against Indigenous women, both on and off reservations. Sheridan revealed to Motion Pictures that he chose the subject matter after spending a lot of time on reservations and talking to several friends there. He made it his directorial debut since he trusted no other director with this issue.
However, Sheridan still received heavy criticism for the film’s White main characters. He revealed that he did not promote cultural appropriation but wanted the film to be an authentic representation. He explained that an FBI Agent responding to a crime in the reservations is almost never Native American.
However, Sheridan claimed that Native Americans supported his film at the Sundance Festival. Sheridan told the outlet:
The big criticism is that we made the two stars White. And yet one of the elements is that an FBI agent responding to a crime is almost never Native American. I wanted it to be an authentic representation.
It was frowned upon for me to tell a story of Native Americans. I was vilified for that, but not by Native Americans. I was called out for that at Sundance. But I got a standing ovation from the Native Americans in the audience. I was writing with a foot in both worlds.
Sheridan’s film did receive criticism from the Native Americans. Jason Asenap, a Native commentator, was not impressed with White filmmakers taking on Native American subjects (via High Country News). Kelsey Asbille, who played Natalie Hanson, was promoted as Eastern Band Cherokee during the film’s release but was called out later (via NextShark).
Wind River is available for rent on AppleTV+. Wonder Woman is now available for streaming on Max.
