Taylor Sheridan has become one of the most prolific writers and showrunners in Hollywood since he co-created "Yellowstone" in 2018. And TikTok user Paul Guyot (@screenwritingtruth) recently shared one of the major keys to Sheridan's success.
Sheridan was originally an actor who had played significant parts in series like FX's "Sons of Anarchy," but sought bigger, beefier roles. So he decided to write them himself. An unintended consequence? He was really, really good at it.
But what made Sheridan's writing so special? Guyot, who is friends with a producer for Sheridan's film "Sicario," explains that Sheridan's writing voice elevated his work above the rest.
@screenwritingtruth #screenwritingtruth #screenwritingadvice #screenwriting #screenwritingtips #scriptwriter #sicario #screenplays #screenwritingcommunity
Sheridan wrote piles and piles of scripts before anything was made. But his first success as a screenwriter came with "Sicario" in 2015. His initial draft was lackluster. And he had to rewrite the script 17 times before the film was made. So why did producers stick with him when there are plenty of capable writers lining up to get their films made? Guyot explains that it wasn't because he had an incredible story, never-before-seen originality, or exceptionally nuanced characters. Rather, it was his strong voice as a writer.
To prove his point, Guyot shared the following page from the script of "Sicario":
VOICE 2
Can we get out of this vehicle and
set a perimeter?
VOICE
Stay in your vehicle. You can do
what they do. If they get out you
can get out.
ALEJANDRO
(To Kate) Watch the door handles.
The cars are beginning to move in the convoy's lane. Another
fifteen seconds and they can leave this hell behind.
VOICE
Get ready. They can see our lane
clearing. If it's coming it's
coming now.
Only a few more cars and the convoy is clear. But that would
mean luck is on their side, and luck doesn't live on this
side of the border.
The doors to the Expedition swing open. By the time the
assassins put a foot to the ground, the Delta operators are
out of their cars and halfway to them, rifles raised.
Before Kate can react, she is ALONE in the Tahoe.
Even the driver has exited ... she is starting to panic.
KATE
WAIT!
Guyot highlights the compelling lines between the dialogue that paint a tense and cinematic picture: "Fifteen seconds and they can leave this hell behind" and "Luck doesn't live on this side of the border."
"That's voice!" he says, adding that screenwriting books, websites, and gurus may tell you to avoid implementing voice into your screenplays, but that a strong voice is exactly what made Sheridan stand out and become the massive success he is today.
A year after "Sicario," Sheridan penned "Hell or High Water," for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
He has since built an empire of series including "Special Ops: Lioness," "Mayor of Kingstown," "Tulsa King," and the "Yellowstone" prequels "1923" and "1883."
The series finale of "Yellowstone" premieres in the fall of 2024, followed closely by another spinoff titled "6666." His series about the Texas oil boom, "Land Man," stars Bill Bob Thornton and is currently in pre-production.
READ MORE: Taylor Sheridan Shares Why 'Cowboy' is Still His Favorite Job in 'The Last Cowboy' Clip
