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While Taylor Sheridan has been a part of the industry since the early 1990s, it wasn’t until he delved into the field of screenwriting that he became the household name that he is today. Before that, he had multiple recurring roles in series such asVeronica Mars,two iterations ofCSI,andSons of Anarchy,in which he starred as Deputy David Hale
![Taylor Sheridan in Sons of Anarchy [Credit FX]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20082338/Taylor-Sheridan-in-Sons-of-Anarchy-Credit-FX.jpg)
Taylor Sheridan inSons of Anarchy. | FXSheridan wrote his first-ever screenplay while working onSons of Anarchy,which turned out to beSicario.While he wrote the script after he stopped working onSons of Anarchyin 2010, he had already sold multiple other scripts by the timeSicariowent into production, which happened in the fall of 2013.
Sheridan explained that this was down to his lack of contacts, as well as the fact that the content ofSicarioin itself was back then a no-go for most filmmakers, and had a female lead. This meant that Sheridan had to beg people just to read his script, and it took him years to set the wheels in motion for the $30 million movie.
Taylor Sheridan had to beg people to read script forSicario
While Sheridan was a known star by the time he made it toSons of Anarchyin 2008, he was still a ‘Television star.’ The screenwriter/actor sat foran interview with Uproxxback in March 2016, during which he went into a range of details about the kind of reception he initially got.
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Taylor Sheridanexplained that while somebody like Leonardo DiCaprio could get a movie made out of his screenplay easily, that was simply not true for him back then. He claimed thatSicariobecame a reality because he was able to convince an attorney to read the script:
I sent it to the attorney who had negotiated a few deals for me and didn’t want to negotiate any more, and I was like, “I’m begging you, please, please read this. I don’t know what to do.” He read the script and was very taken by it, so he took it and put it in the hands of some agents who liked me. They staked their reputation on it and started sending it around. The funny thing is, by the time Sicario actually got produced, I had sold probably six or seven other scripts. It was impossible to put together for three years and then in three months it went from sitting on a shelf to going into production.
Hence, whileSicario’sscreenplay was rousing right from the very start, it was its subject matter, and the existence of a female lead, which made the project ‘untouchable.’ Sheridan claimed,
It was kind of untouchable because of the subject matter. Because of a female protagonist. Because of the violence. No one wanted to touch it, no one wanted to make a movie about that world. It had countless strikes against it.
Of course, that changed much later andSicarogot none other thanEmily Bluntas its lead.
A number of things had to go right forSicarioto come into existence
As it turned out, a controversial real-life-event also playeda part inSicariobecoming a reality. While Sheridan wrote the script when the USA’s war against drugs was in full motion, notorious drug lord El Chapo Guzman escaped from a Mexican prison in July 2015, which brought forth increased interest in the world of cartels, whichSicariofocussed on.
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That, and the fact that whoever took the time out to readSicario’sscript, immediately fell in love with it. That included eventual directorDenis Villeneuve, and eventual producers Basil Iwanyk and Molly Smith. Sheridan explained,
Basil Iwanyk of Thunder Road read it and loved it. He sent it to [producer] Molly Smith and she loved it. Then [director] Denis Villeneuve, he felt the same way. And all of a sudden we were going into production.
And that is how things eventually fell into place, asSicarioreleased in the United States in July 2015. Sheridan had already sold multiple scripts by then, but the director’s heart was set onSicario,which in itself was written by him because it was themovie he ‘wanted to see.’
Sicariois available to be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Rishabh Bhatnagar
Editor/Reviewer
Articles Published :315
Rishabh Bhatnagar is an Entertainment and pop culture journalist/editor with Fandom Wire. He has more than 6 years of experience working for multiple major platforms and is himself an avid consumer of worthwhile content. A natural storyteller, Rishabh has a unique way with words and is always looking to improve, as a storyteller, writer, and a journalist.
