Wind River: The Next Chapter is the name of the sequel to the 2017 movie that was led by Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner. As the movie is officially in the works, it will be helmed by Kari Skogland (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), with Martin Sensmeier (1883) reprising his role from the original film. The two Avengers actors are not confirmed to be returning, with more casting to be announced soon. Taylor Sheridan, who wrote and directed the 2017 movie, will not be attached in any capacity to the sequel.
The original movie followed a federal agent (Olsen) investigating the rape and murder of a young Native American woman at a Wyoming reservation. She teams up with a local hunter (Renner) to hunt down the man or men who committed the crime. They were also joined by Jon Bernthal, Graham Greene (Antlers), Kelsey Asbille (Yellowstone), Julia Jones (Dexter: New Blood), and Gil Birmingham (Yellowstone).
Wind River receiving a sequel, subtitled The Next Chapter
The story of the Wind River sequel continues the gruesome mysteries that the reservation community deal with as a series of ritualistic murders have gone unchecked. Chip Hansen (Sensmeier) is recruited by the FBI to assist in the investigation, similar to how Olsen used Renner for help in the first film. This new story was written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman, who worked together on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Last Light.
The film is set to start production in January 2023. It is produced by Matthew George, Basil Iwanyk, and Erica Lee. Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, Derrick Rossi, Jonathan Fuhrman, Courtney Shepard, and Hernan Narea serve as executive producers.
Wind River getting a sequel is a little bit of a surprise. While it was a great showcase of Renner and Olsen’s abilities outside of the MCU, the film was not a box office monster with $44 million from an $11 million budget. Still, it was well-received by critics and audiences. The critic score on Rotten Tomatoes is 88% from 256 reviews, and the audience score at 90% from over 25,000 reviews.