Is ‘Yellowstone’ about to end abruptly? Don’t bet the ranch, Paramount Network says
Paramount Network‘s hit series “Yellowstone” looks to be all right, all right, all right for now, despite a report Monday alleging it would come to an end soon.
Deadline reported exclusively that Paramount Global and Paramount Network were taking steps to conclude the Kevin Costner-starring series from co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan and would pivot to focus on a spinoff series starring Matthew McConaughey.
But a source close to the production refuted Deadline’s report Monday afternoon with the unqualified assurance that “Yellowstone” will continue.
“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,” a Paramount Network spokesperson said in a statement to The Times “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built.”
With hit western cable drama ‘Yellowstone,’ ViacomCBS hopes it has found the big bang for another universe of content that could boost subscribers for Paramount+.
The statement continued: “Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
According to Deadline, Costner had taken issue with the series’ filming schedule and the network had declined the actor’s “proposal,” opting instead to shift focus to a new show.
Since “Yellowstone” premiered on June 20, 2018, on Paramount Network, Costner has portrayed the patriarch of the Dutton Ranch. The series is currently in its fifth season.
“Yellowstone” also stars Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Gil Birmingham.
The character is awash in pain and violence, but there’s a glimmer of love and tenderness too.
The alleged McConaughey series would be Paramount Network‘s most recent effort to expand the world of Sheridan’s “Yellowstone.” In December 2021, the network premiered the limited-series prequel “1883” featuring Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; in December 2022 came the series “1923,” starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
“I’m a big believer in acting as a mirror and showing the world as it functions as accurately as I can, warts and all, so that people can make their own decisions about what they think about that world and our place in it,” showrunner Sheridan told The Times in 2021.
