Kurt Russell Reportedly Wanted for Yellowstone Spinoff
Kurt Russell could be heading to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The acclaimed actor is reportedly in talks to join the Taylor Sheridan-created Yellowstone franchise in a leading role.
The report comes from Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider newsletter (via JoBlo) and states that Russell is currently being eyed to lead an upcoming Yellowstone spinoff series. At the time of writing, it is unclear which Yellowstone spinoff Russell has been approached to lead. The best guess, however, would be 2024, the upcoming sequel series to the eponymous show, as the two other proposed spinoffs — 1944 and 6666 — seem to still be in early development. Russell is no stranger to starring in prestige television, having recently headlined the first season of the Apple TV+ MonsterVerse series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Yellowstone Is Ending, But Not Really
Yellowstone premiered on Paramount Network in June 2018, following the Dutton family, who are the owners of the largest ranch in Montana. The fifth season, focusing on John Dutton preparing for political war as he takes office as the governor of Montana, aired its first eight episodes between November 2022 and January 2023. The second half of the season was supposed to begin airing over the summer of 2023, but production was indefinitely delayed due to conflicts with series lead Kevin Costner. The ongoing drama resulted in Paramount and Sheridan announcing that Yellowstone would end after its fifth season.
However, Yellowstone will be immediately followed by a sequel series, currently titled 2024, that will continue the present-day story of the Dutton family. Matthew McConaughey has been approached to headline this new series, although the Oscar-winning actor reportedly wouldn’t join the show until he sees some finished scripts. Michelle Pfeiffer has also been in talks to play the show’s female lead. It also wouldn’t be a true sequel series without some returning stars. Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes are expected to come back as Rip Wheeler, Beth Dutton, and Kayce Dutton, respectively, with their return reportedly coming with a hefty salary increase.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Will Be Worth the Wait
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 is expected to premiere on Paramount Network in November 2024. When the series does return, it will have been almost two years since fans last saw the Dutton family on their television screens. However, according to Ian Bohen, who portrays ranch hand Ryan, the Western drama series’ return will be worth the wait. “Taylor [Sheridan] is going to be delivering to the audience, so it’ll be worth the wait, so we thank everybody for waiting,” he said in March 2024.
Yellowstone is currently available to stream on Peacock.