Yellowstone to Reportedly End With Matthew McConaughey Starring in Franchise Extension

A new day might be dawning on Yellowstone. On Monday, reports began to swirl indicating that the Paramount Network series could soon be ending in its current form. According to the reports, co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan is reportedly working with the network, as well as Paramount Global, to end the series, and subsequently launch a new extension of the franchise that would continue its narrative. The report hints that Matthew McConaughey is in negotiations to star in the potential new series as a currently-unknown character, with “several of the big stars” of Yellowstone rumored to join him. That being said, nothing is confirmed or officially set in stone, with a Paramount Network spokesperson indicating as much.

“We have no news to report,” the statement from the Paramount Network spokesperson reads. “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.”

The report indicates that the decision is being considered due to an issue with shooting schedules involving Kevin Costner, who stars in the current series as John Dutton. Reportedly, Costner only wanted to spend a week shooting the second batch of Season 5 episodes, as opposed to the 50-65 days that he has in the past.

What is Yellowstone about?

The series follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in Montana, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, commonly called “the Yellowstone”. The plot revolves around family drama at the ranch and the bordering Broken Rock Indian Reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and developers.

In addition to Costner, the series stars Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Danny Huston, Gil Birmingham, Forrie J. Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham, Wendy Moniz, Jennifer Landon, Kathryn Kelly, and Moses Brings Plenty. Across its tenure, the series has spun out multiple spinoffs — 1883, 1923, and the forthcoming Bass Reeves and 6666 series. Sheridan has also continued to partner with Paramount on the hit series Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and the forthcoming Lioness.

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h/t: Deadline