Yellowstone is coming to an end. However, Taylor Sheridan plans to continue the franchise with Matthew McConaughey.
Whoa, there, cowboy! Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone is coming to an end. According to Deadline‘s shocking report, Yellowstone co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan, Paramount Global, and Paramount Network will end the show in its current form. However, Sheridan plans to develop a potential franchise extension to the Dutton storyline with a new show. The new project has Matthew McConaughey in talks to star, with more notable names circling the project. Several cast members of the Costner-led series will trot over to the new series.
“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner,” a Paramount Network spokesperson told Deadline.
Per Deadline, the Yellowstone problem stems from Costner’s disagreements about the shooting schedule. According to reports, Costner agreed to 65 days of filming on Yellowstone and only wanted to shoot for 50 days for the first part of the current season. However, for the second round of episodes, Costner only wanted to shoot for a week. Considering Costner’s significant role as John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family, it’s hard to imagine the show without him. Sheridan is understandably upset by the situation, leading to morale problems on the set. Other stars, including Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, and Gil Birmingham, are also upset by the predicament.
Instead of haggling with Costner about the details, Paramount Network declined his recent proposal and is looking to move on without him. The new show, which has McConaughey in its sights to star, will premiere on the Paramount Network before appearing on Paramount+. This actually gives Paramount an out as the flagship show currently streams on Peacock in the US due to a pre-existing deal that was made before their in-house streamer took off. Now, their flagship show would stream on Paramount+ as it won’t technically be the original series anymore, but rather a spin-off or sequel series. Plot details for the new series remain a mystery.
At the end of the day, Yellowstone could end after the second half of the current season. This situation puts a lot of jobs into question, and Sheridan is scrambling to put the pieces together. John Dutton is the foundation upon which Yellowstone rests, and replacing him requires fancy negotiations or a miracle. I don’t know that Sheridan is ready to make either happen, and the sun could set on Yellowstone before we know it. Thankfully, Sheridan is working on other projects in the Yellowstone universe, so the future is still bright for the brand overall.
