‘1883’ Star Sam Elliot Discusses Possibility of Another ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-off
Audiences are captivated by Yellowstone, the critically acclaimed TV drama that follows the Dutton family and their lives at their ranch in rugged, wild Montana. The show is led by a star-studded cast that includes Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and more. With so much viewer love for this world, there are already two spin-off series including 1883, starring Sam Elliott. And though that series seemed to end pretty definitively, could there be room for yet another spin-off?
The ‘Yellowstone’ universe
Yellowstone debuted in 2018 and is the story of the Dutton family, which owns the largest ranch in the U.S. The series includes themes of family values, human nature, politics, power struggles, and romance.
The family is led by its patriarch John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner) who comes from a long line of ranchers and is fiercely protective of his family and land. The Duttons struggle to preserve their way of life. It’s no simple task when faced with conflicts involving land developers, Native American tribes, and inner demons.
The show has enjoyed so much popularity that there have been two prequel spin-offs, 1883 and 1923, each with its own star-studded cast. There are two more spin-off shows coming with 1883: The Bass Reeves Story and 6666 in the near future.
Sam Elliott would love to see a prequel for ‘1883’
In a recent interview with Variety, legendary actor Sam Elliott, star of 1883, talked about working in the wildly popular prequel series. The limited series is set prior to the events of the original show with Elliott playing Shea Brennan. Brennan is a Civil War veteran turned cowboy who leads the Duttons from Texas to Montana. While Brennan has a tough exterior, the complexity of his emotions was a masterclass in acting from Elliott.
Elliott explained the role wasn’t a big stretch for him because he was very familiar with the genre. But the series allowed to him to go places he “had never gone before in that genre” as much of Brennan’s character was internalized.
Even with some difficult filming conditions, Elliott valued the experience and found it difficult to say goodbye.
“Let’s do a prequel of this,” Elliott told Variety. He pointed out that there are questions remaining from 1883. “Where was LaMonica? Where were those two guys? Pick it up after the war, when they were Pinkertons. There’s plenty of stuff to do.”
While there currently aren’t any plans to revisit Brennan in the Yellowstone universe, it’s a possibility.
Will there be a sixth season of ‘Yellowstone’?
While there have been rumors that season five will be the end of the flagship series, People has evidence to the contrary.
At the premiere of Yellowstone season five in New York City, actor Cole Hauser told the magazine that season five wouldn’t be the final season. Taylor Sheridan, the show’s co-creator was said to be absent because he was developing the sixth season.
However, according to reports, Costner is making it difficult for the show to move forward. The actor is trying to juggle filming schedules for Yellowstone and the upcoming Western film Horizon. A source told People Sheridan was frustrated with Costner and trying to develop a franchise extension starring Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey.
A spokesperson for Paramount said that there was no news to report. They explained that Costner was a big part of Yellowstone and it’s hoped that will not change for a “long time to come.”
