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Taylor Sheridan’s decision to transform from an actor to a screenwriter has brought him considerable success. The screenwriter saw huge success with his first effortSicario, which was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay. TheYellowstonecreator received more acclaim for his follow-up effortHell or High Water, which was nominated for multiple Oscars.
Sheridan reportedly spent some time trying to get the right team of creatives to work onHell or High Water. The neo-Western starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine follows the story of two robbers, who are being pursued by the Texas Rangers. Regardless, Sheridan mentioned that he found Scottish director David Mackenzie by a stroke of luck.
Taylor Sheridan’s Film Found The Right Director By Luck
Taylor Sheridanwrote his second installment in his American Frontier trilogy,Hell or High Water, after his breakout filmSicario. The former actor reportedly sold the film to Sidney Kimmell, who was supposed to collaborate with filmmaker Peter Berg. However, due to time constraints, Berg reportedly dropped as the director.
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Sheridan mentioned that they took some time to find the right director, but then finally found the perfect fit in David Mackenzie. The Scottish filmmaker had made films such asYoung AdamsandStarred Up. According to Sheridan, Mackenzie brought a new perspective to the rooted American story.
Sheridan mentioned in an interview withDeadlinethat the filmmaker being an outsider made him unsentimental about the material and helped the film not get bogged down by emotions,
He’s an unsentimental director, and he’s patient with the camera in a way that doesn’t feel slow. And I felt there were important moments in Hell or High Water that could be overly sentimental, such as between Marcus and Alberto’s friendship, and when Toby meets his ex-wife or goes to sit with his son. There are a lot of landmines, and David effortlessly stepped around them. David boarded and we cast the film quickly.
TheTulsa Kingwriter also reportedly liked the filmmaker’s European sensibilities, which made the film less political and more social.
David Mackenzie Wanted Called Himself An ‘Amateur American’ For His Work OnHell or High Water
One of the highlights of Taylor Sheridan’s new frontier trilogy is the almost cold world it created, despite exploring many human themes. Be it his exploration of America’s war on the Mexican Cartel inSicarioor Native American killings inWind River, there is a bleakness that engulfs Sheridan’s America.
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Hence, Scottish filmmaker David Mackenzie’s ‘unsentimental’ style of filmmaking came in handy in the neo-WesternHell or High Water. Mackenzie mentioned that he wanted to respect the culture and milieu of the country in the film. He said to Deadline,
Taylor’s script was love at first sight. I loved the way it moved, the sense of place and people, and its connection to the great movies of the 1970s that I really loved. But it also felt like it was a snapshot of contemporary America with the resonance of the past, a slightly poetic song to the change of the Old West. I wasn’t trying to be an outsider, but an amateur American. I wanted to embrace and respect this world we were trying to represent.
The duo’s collaboration seemed to have worked wonders as the film received acclaim worldwide and earned $37 million at the box office against a $12 million budget.
Hell or High Wateris streaming on Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
