Oscar-nominated screenwriter and co-creator of the hit series Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan, known for his gritty portrayals of crime and violence, is set to release a new book exploring an experience he has never personally endured: life behind bars.
Simon & Schuster announced on Tuesday that Sheridan’s How to Not Die in Prison, described as a "darkly funny survival guide" to a maximum-security facility, will be published on 23 June.
Sheridan earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the 2016 crime drama Hell or High Water, and has overseen popular television series including Yellowstone, Tulsa King, and Mayor of Kingstown.
"You might wonder what in the world gives me the knowledge or wisdom to write a survival guide to prison," Sheridan writes in the book’s introduction, according to Simon & Schuster.
"Well, I’ll tell you — absolutely nothing. I’ve never been to prison. But, like every man, I’ve certainly wondered how I would survive if circumstances ever put me there. That morbid curiosity sent me on a journey to understand the politics and dangers of prison."
To lend authenticity to the project, Sheridan collaborated with co-author Tom Nelson, who spent more than a decade incarcerated. Nelson commented on their unique partnership, stating: "Hey, one of us has written hit TV shows and Academy Award-nominated movies, and the other has spent much of his adult life behind bars in medium and maximum-security prisons. If that’s what makes for good wisdom and entertainment, I’ll take it."
Sheridan’s other film credits include writing and directing the Angelina Jolie thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead and the Western-thriller Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen.
Last autumn, Paramount and Activision confirmed that Sheridan and his Hell or High Water collaborator Peter Berg are developing an adaptation of the blockbuster video game franchise Call of Duty.
