Amid the drama between Kevin Costner and the cast and crew of Yellowstone, it was confirmed by Paramount Media Networks head Chris McCarthy in June that a new spinoff show was officially in the works starring Matthew McConaughey.

This news broke when the future of Yellowstone was still up in the air, but McCarthy let fans know that the flagship series would not affect McConaughey’s show, meaning that it would be released no matter what.

 

 

Taylor Sheridan previously called McConaughey a “natural fit” in his Yellowstone (per The Hollywood Reporter).

Sheridan also detailed some of the conversations that he had with the actor over the years regarding his thoughts on the Yellowstone franchise, and that McConaughey eventually couldn’t resist the temptation of joining it himself:

 

 

“We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching ‘Yellowstone’ and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by that he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.'”

In the same sitdown, the Yellowstone creator even teased that McConaughey’s show could potentially be set in a location away from Montana, saying that “there are a lot of places” for a story like that to be told:

“There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different. There are a lot of places you can tell this story.”

Sheridan is also currently working on multiple other Yellowstone spinoffs, including Season 2 of the Harrison Ford-led 1923, another Yellowstone prequel titled 1944, an anthology-style show called Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and even a series set in Texas titled 6666.