Hang on to your spurs, middle-aged Dads. This one is gonna hurt. Deadline is reporting that Taylor Sheridan and Paramount are charting a new series set in the Yellowstone universe starring Matthew McConaughey. This McConaughey-led series would pull a number of stars from Yellostone over to it, as the existing iteration of Yellowstone is poised to end its run possibly as soon as the forthcoming back half of season 5.

I’ll give you a beat to process that.

According to Deadline, this is due mainly to Kevin Costner’s shooting schedule. He’s busy with other projects (including Horizon, a movie he is directing, writing, and starring in). Costner apparently said that, for the back half of season five, he only wanted to shoot for one week compared to the 50 days he spent shooting the first half (and the 65 days he typically devoted to the series each season). This has caused friction.

Given that Costner plays John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton clan, this has been a source of frustration for Sheridan and it is understood to be causing morale problems for the other stars of the show, which includes Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Gil Birmingham.

We are told Paramount Network has declined Costner’s most recent proposal and instead has decided to move on to the other show, sources said.

What all parties are now wrangling is a Yellowstone franchise extension that Sheridan will write with McConaughey as the star. The True Detective star is currently in negotiations … the new project is way more than just talk, borne out of the continued disagreements over the lessening amount time Costner is willing to spend shooting the series.

I will say this: Yellowstone has lost some of its mojo recently, and the prequels have been decidedly better. A “franchise extension” with McConaughey may be the jolt of energy this series needs. The major concern for me is how McConaughey’s entry would square with the Dutton ranch. The prequels and the existing series have stressed the importance of the ranch to the family. I don’t see them believably selling the ranch to another character. Maybe McConaughey comes in as the younger brother or the long-lost son or maybe he’s overseeing the Texas ranch where a few of the existing Yellowstone characters are currently relocating. That’s fine, although the prequels may lose some value without the existing Costner-led Yellowstone to reinforce the value of the ranch to the family.

I suspect that Sheridan will figure it out. The good news for Paramount is that the new series would not have to stream on Peacock, which currently has the streaming rights to Yellowstone despite it being the anchor of the Paramount Network.

In the meantime, Sheridan still has plenty on his plate, including another season of 1923 and Tulsa King, a Bass Reeves series, two more potential Yellowstone prequels (set in the ’40s and ’60s), as well as Mayor of Kingstown, the forthcoming Lioness starring Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, and a Billy Bob Thornton series.

Source: Deadline