Taylor Sheridan and his Bosque Ranch have won the bidding to adapt the S.C. Gwynne book Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History.
In an exclusive with Deadline, Empire of the Summer Moon has been a long-standing passion project of Sheridan’s. The book is an exhaustive historical account of the between the Comanche tribe and white settlers to control the American West that lasted for nearly half a century.
Quanah Parker is considered the tribe’s greatest-ever chief and is central to the story. The Comanches were legendary fighters and were able to hold off expansion attempts by both the Spanish coming up from Mexico and the French trying to spread west from Louisiana. Beating the French isn’t hard, just saying. Moving on.
What A Portfolio!
Taylor is no stranger to Westerns having helmed some of the best TV in recent memory. Shows like Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, are faultless. Lawmen: Bass Reeves (which I have yet to check out) is supposed to add to Sheridan’s portfolio of quality. He also directed the excellent Wind River starring Hawkeye, Wanda Maximoff, and The Punisher.
Add to this other shows like Tulsa King, Mayor Of Kingstown, and Special Ops: Lioness as well as movies such as Sicario, Hell Or High Water, and Sicario 2 means that Empire of the Summer Moon has just shot to the top of my must-watch list.
With a back catalog that has no equal, author S.C. Gwynne was understandably licking his balls at the prospect of Sheridan adapting his work for the big screen.
“I can’t think of anyone better qualified to bring Empire of the Summer Moon to the screen than Taylor Sheridan. He has a deep and nuanced understanding of both the myth and reality of the Old West. I am thrilled that he is undertaking this project.”
For those who can’t get enough of Sheridan, I recommend The Joe Rogan Experience podcast he was recently on. It’s great listening:
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