Hold your horses, Yellowstone fans. The Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff doesn't sound like it left the stable just yet. Though previous reports claimed that a sequel series would immediately follow Yellowstone's series finale in November 2024, a new dispatch suggests that McConaughey's involvement isn't sure thing after all.
McConaughey's hesitation is reportedly due to the fact that he hasn't seen a script. According to Matthew Belloni of Puck News, McConaughey is still the top choice to lead the project. His involvement is just a little "overstated"—at least, until Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan sends over a script. As of today, there are also no reports regarding who McConaughey would play, or how the new series will advance the Dutton family saga. Though Belloni added that producers are close to a deal with Michelle Pfeiffer, who is in negotiations to play the female lead.
Sheridan was already cooking up some ideas for the series this past June, praising McConaughey as "a natural fit" for his modern western TV universe. "We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas," Sheridan revealed. "Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, I want to do that. And by that he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, Buddy, that we can do."
The series is working out Yellowstone's future with the title of 2024, suggesting that Paramount will continue its decades-spanning approach for the franchise. The network also announced yet another Yellowstone spinoff, 1944. Though both 2024 and 1944 serve as working titles, the naming suggests that the McConaughey spinoff may also serve as a limited series. Nothing has been confirmed, but it's interesting that 2024 wasn't introduced as the official sequel to Yellowstone as originally planned. Is Paramount planning to test the waters with McConaughey before barreling ahead with a Yellowstone sequel? As fans question if leading star Kevin Costner will even return for the final episodes of Yellowstone Season Five, an official announcement that the story will continue would have delighted fans.
"Within five years, we grew Yellowstone from a hit U.S. cable show with five million viewers into a global hit franchise with over 100 million fans around the world and multiple extensions – and, we’re just getting started," said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios. "On the heels of 1883 and 1923’s success, our new planned spinoffs, 1944 and 2024, will take audiences on a thrilling, new and unexpected journey with the complex and compelling storytelling that has become a hallmark of the franchise and has helped turn it into a worldwide cultural phenomenon–thanks to the creative mastermind of Taylor Sheridan."
Sheridan also stated that he would do away with the rest of the cast following Season Five, even though Paramount announced that some cast members would return. "My idea of a spinoff is the same as my idea of a prequel—read into that what you will," the Yellowstone creator told The Hollywood Reporter. Usually, that means it's a stand-alone story and everyone dies. "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," he explained. "There are a lot of places you can tell this story." Still, Sheridan had only figured out the "broadest strokes" of what journey to take McConaughey on at the time.
Meanwhile, Paramount+ is having a grand ol' time airing Yellowstone from the beginning on CBS. Costner and Sheridan may be feuding over filming schedules and contract disputes behind the scenes, but the Yellowstone fandom is still going strong. We'll let the Dutton family sort that mess out while we dream of McConaughey on the Yellowstone ranch.
Funko Funko Pop! TV: Yellowstone - Beth Dutton
