Alongside his ongoing TV projects, Taylor Sheridan is working on a Western epic adapted from one of his favorite books. Although it’s still in the early stages of development, this adaptation is virtually guaranteed to happen, given how passionate Sheridan is about the undertaking. The only question is whether it will be released as a movie or a TV miniseries.
If he gets this adaptation right, it may well rank among the best indigenous movies in North American history. However, getting it right means correcting the apparent distortions in Gwynne’s portrayal of the Comanche people who dominated the southern part of the Great Plains before it was settled by populations of European origin.
Taylor Sheridan Is Adapting The Non-Fiction Book Empire Of The Summer Moon
The last real updates about Taylor Sheridan’s Empire of the Summer Moon adaptation came way back in 2024. Nevertheless, we know that it’s still a priority project for the writer-director, who spent years securing the screen rights for the book.
Sheridan even has a personal connection to its story. Back in the 19th century, the Four Sixes ranch that Sheridan now owns played host to a friend of the book’s central protagonist.
Empire of the Summer Moon charts the war between the tribal Comanche Nation and white settlers between the 1830s and 1870s, which played a decisive role in shaping the future of the American West. It features accounts of Cynthia Ann Parker, a white woman raised by Comanches, and her son, the fearsome Comanche warrior Quanah Parker.
It’s a sweeping epic of Western history, which brings together all the main elements of the struggle for control of the Wild West through the story of an indigenous tribe and its white adversaries. Yet, the book has drawn extensive criticism, not least from modern representatives of the Comanche Nation itself.
Empire Of The Summer Moon Is Controversial Within The Comanche Nation
S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon has incurred the wrath of Comanche leaders and historians alike, ever since its release in 2010. The book has been accused of lacking Native American sources, subscribing to a distorted settler perspective of the Comanche as violent savages, and misrepresenting the specifics of their culture and lifestyle.
These accusations are far from the first time the Western genre has experienced a backlash from First Nations communities. Many of John Wayne’s Western movies exemplify the harsh realities to face up to when it comes to Hollywood’s warped portrayals of indigenous Americans.
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But when it was announced that Taylor Sheridan was adapting Empire of the Summer Moon for the screen, the Comanche Nation found it necessary to act in the strongest possible terms. During a meeting in October 2024, the Comanche Business Committee passed a resolution denouncing the book and effectively banning it from all tribal programs and institutions.
Following this meeting, Comanche Nation Chairman Forrest Tahdooahnippah implored Sheridan to do better with his adaptation. “My hope is that if we go on record saying that we think the book is inaccurate,” Tahdooahnippah explained, “that future derivative works of the book will attempt to be more accurate and attempt to include us in the conversation.” (via KOSU)
Taylor Sheridan's Adaptation Must Resolve The Issues With The Book
The Comanche Nation’s resolution condemning Empire of the Summer Moon puts Taylor Sheridan in a difficult position, especially since an episode of his TV series Tulsa King got him into hot water with the Quapaw Nation, which neighbors Comanche land. He has to tread very carefully when adapting S. C. Gwynne’s book, while listening to the concerns of tribal leaders.
Sheridan might have the approval of Gwynne himself, but many high-profile indigenous Americans still don’t trust him to depict the Comanche without settler bias. Lakota actress Jana Schmieding, for example, told Yahoo in an interview that she finds it “laughable” he’s adapting Empire of the Summer Moon.
For fans of Taylor Sheridan’s Westerns, Empire of the Summer Moon is his most exciting project since Yellowstone. However, it’s a work that will tackle an incredibly sensitive part of American history. Therefore, Sheridan must avoid sticking to Gwynne’s version of the Comanche. His adaptation has to resolve the Nation’s issues with its source material.
Empire of the Summer Moon is quite simply the most important Western of Taylor Sheridan’s career. If he rises to the challenge of adapting this sprawling historical tome in a sensitive and even-handed way, drawing on Native American sources, then it could cement his place among the genre’s greatest exponents.
Sources: Comanche Nation; KOSU; Yahoo
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