1923: Helen Mirren Joined Yellowstone Spinoff Without Reading Any Scripts
The latest installment in the Yellowstone universe, 1923, debuted on Paramount+ on Sunday, bringing to screen a new chapter of the Dutton family saga, this time set in the early twentieth century. The series stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as the head of the family for this generation — Jacob and Cara Dutton — and according to Mirren, she agreed to do the series without ever having read a single script. Speaking with The Wrap about the series, Mirren said that there were a number of things about the series that interested her, but there were no scripts for her to read so she signed on "without really knowing" what she was getting into.
"Possibly, very, very early in my decision to do it was the fact that Harrison was involved. That immediately raised the stakes enormously high. I already knew that Taylor Sheridan was obviously the creator. That was a hugely important element in the process because of his track record. And actually, I'm not talking about "Yellowstone." I'm really talking about things like "Wind River" and "Hell or High Water." And I've loved all of his films. So that was in an incredible, important element," Mirren said. "And then I think the idea that you're looking at American history in a very adult way, and in a way in which you have the time to really connect the dots of history, of understanding how America developed, how technology developed. It was a combination of those things."
She added, "I agreed to do it without reading any scripts. No scripts were available to read. I had no idea really. I mean, obviously I had an outline of the story. It's this couple, living on a ranch, and their struggles. That was as much as I knew. But I didn't read any scripts. And I signed on without really knowing what I was getting into but with great excitement. And I think now I'm in the middle of it, I'm so grateful for the fact that I'm involved and that this will become a very important part of my filmography."
What is 1923 about?
1923, the next installment of the Dutton family origin story, will introduce a new generation of Duttons led by patriarch Jacob (Ford) and matriarch Cara (Mirren). The series will explore the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.
In addition to Ford 1923 also stars Helen Mirren, Darren Mann ("Animal Kingdom"), Michelle Randolph ("A Snow White Christmas"), James Badge Dale ("Hightown"), Marley Shelton ("Scream"), Brian Geraghty ("Big Sky"), Aminah Nieves ("Blueberry"), and Jerome Flynn ("Game of Thrones").
How Many Episodes of 1923 are there?
The first season of 1923 will contain 8 episodes. Episode one airs on December 18th, then the series will be off for the Christmas holiday. New episodes resume on Sunday, January 1, 2023, and continue each Sunday through February 12, 2023.
Did you watch the series premiere of 1923? Let us know your thoughts on the new Yellowstone series in the comment section!