When Taylor Sheridan‘s name is attached to a project, genre fans take notice. The writer/director’s grim blend of noir and western tropes makes him of American cinema’s most distinctive voices right now. His debut screenplay for Denis Villeneuve‘s 2015 film “Sicario” first put moviegoers at attention, and his follow-up “Hell Or High Water” notched him several nominations for best screenplay. “High Water” and Sheridan’s directorial debut, 2017’s “Wind River,” are arguably the last decade’s best Western films.
Now, Sheridan returns to the big screen with his latest film, “Those Who Wish Me Dead.” Based on a 2014 novel of the same name by Michael Kortya, the film follows a survival expert who must save a twelve-year-old murder witness pursued by a pair of twin assassins as a wildfire burns through the Montana wilderness. That sounds like a return to form to Sheridan’s violent, neo-western aesthetic.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021
Angelina Jolie leads the cast as Hannah Faber, the survival expert tasked with saving Finn Little‘s Connor Casserly. Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillan play the assassin Blackwell brothers. Jon Bernthal, Tyler Perry, Jake Weber, and Medina Senghore round out the ensemble. James Jordan, who had a recurring role on Sheridan’s ongoing TV show “Yellowstone,” is also in the film.
Sheridan co-wrote the screenplay for “Wish Me Dead” with Kortya and Charles Leavitt. Leavitt is best known for his work for 2008’s “Blood Diamond,” and his most recent co-writing gig came on Duncan Jone‘s “Warcraft” back in 2016. Cinematographer Ben Richards, who worked with Sheridan on “Wind River,” returns to work the camera here, too.
How successful will Taylor Sheridan’s return to movies from his inchoate TV show empire fare next to his other violent looks at contemporary Americana? Find out on May 14th, when “Those Who Wish Me Dead” releases concurrently in theaters and exclusively on HBO Max.
