Gil Birmingham shares details aboutWind River 2. The original 2017 Western whodunnit film is about two people teaming up to solve the murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation. It is written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, who has become better known for his television career since creating the hit television seriesYellowstone.Wind Riverfeatures a leading cast including Birmingham, Elizabeth Olsen,Jeremy Renner, Kelsey Asbille, Graham Greene, Julia Jones, and Teo Briones. Since the film’s release seven years ago, thedevelopment ofWind River 2has been announced.
In an exclusive interview withScreenRantfor theYellowstonefinale, Birmingham explained the differences betweenWind Riverandits sequel,Wind River: The Next Chapter. The star mentioned several distinctions between the firstfilm and its sequel, most notably thatSheridan is “not associated” withWind River 2at all.He described the sequel as “more of a thriller,” which he felt was more within the realm of conventional drama. He called it “one of those investigative-and-capture stories.” Check out the full quote from Birmingham below:
Just to be quick about it, we filmed that probably two-and-a-half years ago. Taylor’s not associated, he didn’t write it, and he didn’t produce it. Matthew [George] is one of the producers on Wind River that came to me with it. So, I’m not really sure, we’re rather curious ourselves of of what the holdup is in certain terms of distribution and how it may come out. But, it’s quite a bit different story than than the original one is. It’s more of a thriller, I would think. And I don’t know if that’s part of the complication, you know, is it drama? Is it thriller? Determining how they really want to market it, but it’s yet to be seen. Yeah, it’s kind of just faded off there for a while. Who knows what will happen with it?
Well, like I mentioned previously, I think it was kind of developed more as a thriller. Wind River really wasn’t that. I don’t really know how to speak to it. It’s a very different beast. We’ve got my son coming back, Martin Sensmeier, who’s kind of rehabilitated, been taken under the wings of Jeremy Renner in the role of the Fish and Game Warden. Then, he’s on a mission to attempt to find somebody who’s got revenge behavior going on on the rez. It’s kind of one of those investigative-and-capture stories of what’s going on on the land. I don’t know, I’m not speaking very well of it, because I haven’t seen it, and I wasn’t in it a whole lot, anyway. [Chuckles] But, we’ll see.
What This Means For Wind River 2
Taking Sheridan Out Could Be A Risk
Of the several factors that Birmingham mentions, the most significant is thatSheridan is not involved in the sequel. His lack of involvement is not unsurprising, as his career has become incredibly busy in recent years with the success of his shows such asYellowstone,Tulsa King, andMayorKingstown. Still, Sheridan is incredibly skillful in the contemporary Western genre. Losing his directorial vision and writing, it makessense whyWind River 2would be a big creative shift.
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The fact that Birmingham is having trouble definingWind River: The Next Chapter’s genre could be a good or a bad thing. A film that cannot be easily defined by just one genre is an interesting task, but it could mean that the sequel does not know what it wants to be. While the actor has not seen a cut of the film yet, his familiarity with the script and scenes suggests that some obscurity is involved. Whether this works out for the film remains to be seen. So far,the sequel does not have a release datedespite filming having been completed in 2023.
Our Take On The Wind River 2 Changes
Editing Will Make Or Break The Film
While the actor’s insight is valuable, it’s concerning why the film isn’t ready for release yet. The creative team may be working to tweak and edit the final cut, but this two-year delay raises concerns about confidence in the main story. However, the star’s marketing comments raise the suspicion that perhaps there is a creative problem with the tone and genre.Wind River: The Next Chapterhas a lot to live up to, given how acclaimed the original movie was, and with most of the main stars and Sheridan not returning, it’s understandable why there could be tribulations.
Wind River: The Next Chapter
Cast
Directed by Kari Skogland, Wind River: The Next Chapter is the sequel to the 2017 western crime film. Chip Hanson is called upon by the FBI in this sequel to investigate strange murders on his home reservation.
