Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Spinoff With Matthew McConaughey Gets First Update In 2 Years
Matthew McConaughey has set the record straight on his Yellowstone future.
Outside of a leading voice role in the Netflix animated series, the Oscar winner has not returned to television in a big way since his game-changing portrayal of Rustin "Rust" Cohle on HBO's True Detective. That will change later this year, as McConaughey reunites with his True Detective scene partner for the Apple TV comedy Brothers.
The duo will play fictionalized versions of themselves in the Apple TV Original in what might be considered a return to form of sorts for McConaughey, seeing as he reached a new level of fame with lighthearted portrayals in romantic comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. But the actor had reportedly been attached to be the main attraction of a Yellowstone spinoff.
In an interview with The Playlist to promote his upcoming film The Rivals of Amziah King, which will begin its wide release in theaters on August 21, McConaughey shared an update on the status of his Yellowstonespinoff. When asked whether the project was dead, the Interstellar lead replied: “No.” In the quote below, McConaughey goes on to explain that the project hasn't moved fast in development but adds that conversations with franchise creator Taylor Sheridan are ongoing:
Matthew McConaughey: No, I mean, it’s not any more of a thing than it was or probably any less of a thing than it was that did hit the headlines there for a while. Taylor and I have spoken and have continued to have conversations about what [it could be] and if that would be whatever. But nothing’s real yet.
Nothing was ever revealed about McConaughey's proposed Yellowstone series, not even whether it would be concretely set in the present. For context, reports about the spinoff came about at a time of relative uncertainty for the fan-favorite Western drama. Kevin Costner was on his way out as John Dutton after a public spat with Sheridan, with conflicting retellings about which side was to blame.
As a result of the franchise losing its central figure, there were numerous options for how to continue the successful TV saga with offshoots. At one point, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell's The Madison was envisioned as a potential spinoff. It ultimately premiered earlier this year on Paramount+, with two more installments confirmed, and it is a sweet and somber narrative about grieving and has no major Yellowstone connections so far.
Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) did get their own shows, on Paramount+ and CBS, respectively. So far, those are the only Yellowstone spinoffs left standing. However, there are some rumblings about the prequel 1944. Given how valuable the Dutton name has been, it's expected that there will be more series eventually. It could even feature McConaughey, perhaps.