Fans will no longer see Chris Pratt in Taylor Sheridan's next feature film, but many will be familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy star's replacement.
Taylor Sheridan is best known for writing and creating Western TV shows such as Yellowstone, Landman, and 1923, but he does have directing experience, sitting in the director's chair for 2017's Wind River (which he considers his directorial debut despite technically directing a 2011 horror title) and Those Who Wish Me Dead in 2021.
However, since then, the writing mastermind has focused on writing, creating, and directing TV shows for Paramount. Sheridan currently has eight television projects in active development, with more likely on the way, but it seems he still wants to turn some attention back to the big screen.
1923 Star Takes Over For Chris Pratt in Taylor Sheridan's Upcoming Movie
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Warner Brothers is in the process of developing a film with the working title F.A.S.T., which will be written and directed by Taylor Sheridan.
The report also detailed that 1923's Brandon Sklenar (who plays Spencer Dutton in that show) is in talks to star as the main character. If Sklenar lands the role, he will be replacing Chris Pratt as the film's lead actor.
F.A.S.T. was first announced in 2018, as was Pratt's involvement. However, no major developments on the project ever occurred in the late 2010s or early 2020s due to Sheridan's deep involvement with Yellowstone and then the Paramount+ shows he created (find out where all of Sheridan's shows can be streamed here).
The upcoming film will be centered around an ex-Marine (which is the character Pratt was set to portray) who works for the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) by running illegal operations to take down major drug dealers.
Why Was Chris Pratt Replaced?
It is important to remember that an official casting announcement has not been made about Taylor Sheridan's upcoming movie, F.A.S.T. yet, so Brandon Sklenar has not been confirmed to star in the film.
However, his involvement is likely, especially considering he and Sheridan are extremely familiar with one another due to Sklenar playing such a crucial and heavy on-screen role aside actors like Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in 1923.
Chris Pratt is an A-list actor, so he would have brought a lot of eyes to the film just by being involved. However, he has gotten even bigger since the film was first announced in 2018, so it would likely raise the budget too high if he were involved.
The original report that announced F.A.S.T. revealed that the film's budget was somewhere between $70-$80 million, so Pratt simply may have just been too expensive.
However, Warner Brothers still reportedly wanted a star to portray the main character. Since Sklenar has seen his own status rise since appearing in 1923 (he recently appeared in It Ends with Us and will play a main role in The Housemaid alongside Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried), he definitely fits the bill now.
F.A.S.T. is currently in development.
