But will he bring Landman star Billy Bob Thornton along for the ride?
Taylor Sheridan wants you to remember The Alamo. And at the behest of Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, he’s going to make a movie about the legendary locale.
But you won’t be able to see it at a theater or drive-in near you. Indeed, you won’t even be able to stream it on Netflix.
Scheduled to open in 2027, the new Alamo Visitor Center and Museum in San Antonio will house what is described as the most technologically advanced 4D Theater in the world — a state-of-the-art immersive experience designed to recreate the story of the Battle of the Alamo. Dynamic visual effects, sound, and physical elements will help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the siege nearly 190 years ago.
And right from the start, Dan Patrick knew just the man to handle the storytelling.
“Once I saw the plan for the theater,” Patrick said in a prepared statement, “I knew there was only one screenwriter, film producer, and director in the world to make this film for the Alamo Museum — Taylor Sheridan. Over the last decade, Taylor has told the story of the American West — the people, the land, the depth, and the history— in a way no other filmmaker has. In addition to his amazing film portfolio, Taylor is a native Texan who knows and loves our state and its history.
“I reached out to Taylor and asked if he would consider filming and directing this historic project at the Alamo. Despite his incredible schedule, he did not hesitate before enthusiastically answering yes.”
Even with several series — including Dutton Ranch, the Yellowstone spinoff that premieres May 15 on Paramount+ — already on his plate.
“The Alamo is the very bedrock Texas was founded upon,” Sheridan said. “To chronicle the sacrifice made by the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives defending the Alamo is an honor I eagerly accept.”
“This is an amazing gift from Taylor,” Patrick said, “and a big win for Texas, from this iconic and gifted storyteller, screenwriter, and director. He has agreed to join us in telling the story of the Battle of the Alamo for the millions who will visit the Alamo in the years to come. I am reaching out to the Board of the Alamo Trust, who is managing the Alamo restoration plan, and I know they will be as excited as I am about this opportunity.”
Of course, if Sheridan needs someone to portray Davy Crockett in this project, he won’t have to look very far: Billy Bob Thornton, star of Sheridan’s Landman, memorably portrayed the legendary figure in The Alamo, Texas-born filmmaker John Lee Hancock’s 2004 epic about the pivotal event in the Texas Revolution.
“Personality-wise, from what I’ve read of Davy Crockett, we’re not that far apart,” Thornton told C&I in 2004. “He was a guy who was pretty outgoing, and liked people, stuff like that. We’re both Leos, you know? He had ambition, and he was a successful guy — but still liked regular people. I also have that in common with him.
“We looked at portraits of Crockett,” he added, “because we wanted to get my look as close to his as possible. So once I had the hair, the sideburns, the wardrobe, the whole deal – when I saw the first photos of me next to a portrait of Crockett, I thought, ‘Wow! I kinda got it!’”
The biggest challenge he faced, Thornton said, was convincing folks that — well, there really was a Davy Crockett.
“Some folks look at Davy Crockett like he’s Paul Bunyan or something,” Thornton said in 2004. “As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are young people today who think Davy Crockett was a fictional character. That whole coonskin cap thing — that actually came from a popular play that was written about Crockett, with an actor done up in all this frontier garb. Crockett himself might have worn a coonskin cap every now and then, but only when he was holding court or something, to sort of live up to the legend.
“But it’s like John Lee said, ‘Crockett was kind of a rock star in his own time.’ In other words, he was legendary already in his lifetime. If you met Davy Crockett someplace — or David Crockett, as he preferred – it would be like meeting Bob Dylan or somebody like that. He had that kind of stature.”
Even so, thanks in large part to the Walt Disney TV dramas of the 1950s, “People have this idea of ‘Davy! Davy Crockett! King of the Wild Frontier!’ Whereas in actuality, this guy was a congressman and he had political ambitions. A lot of the stories about him were certainly embellished. He wasn’t strictly a woodsman. He was smart guy, he had a lot going on.
“I think if you check into the history we all think we know — even the history we’re taught in school, in textbooks — you’ll find it’s pretty far off from reality.
“We were all concerned about getting it right,” Thornton added, “because this is probably going to be, at least in our lifetime, the last movie anybody makes about the Alamo.”
And then again, maybe not.
