- "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan has shared details about the Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff.
- It was previously thought that the series would feature some of the flagship show's cast.
Since it debuted in 2018, "Yellowstone" has become one of the most-watched dramas on television and spawned successful spinoffs including the prequel series "1883," starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and "1923," led by Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
And now, as the flagship series draws to a close, another Hollywood heavyweight is waiting in the wings to lead the cast of another series.
Matthew McConaughey is in the final stage of negotiations to take on the lead role in a new as-yet-untitled spinoff that will continue the Dutton story after "Yellowstone" ends.
Taylor Sheridan shared some details about the series, which has been greenlit straight-to-series, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter,
When asked if "Yellowstone" characters such as fan favorite Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) will appear in the new series, Sheridan responded: "My idea of a spinoff is the same as my idea of a prequel – read into that what you will."
Given that his prequels so far have featured entirely new casts, locations, and stories that relate tangentially to the flagship, he was then asked whether that means it will be a standalone story, to which he nodded in confirmation.
He said: "There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different. There are a lot of places you can tell this story."
Although the new series is slated to premiere on the Paramount Network in December, a month after "Yellowstone" returns for its final run of episodes, Sheridan said the project is still in its early stages of development.
He told the outlet that he has only "the broadest strokes" of the spinoff worked out at the moment and it seems that he won't be filling in the detail for a while as he is currently not writing in solidarity with the ongoing writers' strike.
The Hollywood Reporter article noted that it was unlikely that the remaining episodes of "Yellowstone," which are yet to be written, let alone shot and edited, will air in November. It seems that the same is true for the spinoff.
When asked about McConaughey's casting in the "new chapter" of the Dutton saga, he said that the Texan-born actor "seems like a natural fit."
Sheridan said: "We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching 'Yellowstone' and responded to it. He was like, 'I want to do that.'"
"By 'that' he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, 'Buddy, that we can do.'"
Deadline reported in February that amid disagreements with lead actor Kevin Costner over shooting schedules, "Yellowstone" would be coming to a premature end and be replaced by a new series, which would potentially include several of the flagship show's main cast.
The outlet reported that it was one of more than 10 projects that Sheridan has lined up.