Update arrives for Taylor Sheridan’s new 'Yellowstone' spin-off plans with Matthew McConaughey

Let’s have a quick stroll through the ever-expanding Yellowstone universe—which, if you’ve even glanced at TV over the last few years, you’ll know is basically a spinoff-generating machine. It all kicked off with the flagship series, but now you’ve got the 1883 origin prequel, the all-star-studded 1923 saga, and this year alone, two more series: Marshals and Dutton Ranch. The latter’s gone down an absolute storm on Paramount+, practically owning the streaming charts these days.

Of course, it’s not just about cowboys and generational family feuds—Taylor Sheridan has earned himself a reputation as the busiest man on American television, churning out entirely new shows like Lioness and Landman alongside all those Yellowstone outings. It's fair to say Paramount has built an empire on Sheridan's scripts, but all empires come to an end—or at least a transfer of power. The big behind-the-scenes question is what happens in a couple of years when Sheridan inevitably packs his bags for NBCUniversal. Paramount might technically still own the Yellowstone universe (courtesy of their Skydance deal), but they're clearly eyeing a future that doesn’t wholly rely on his creative brain.

The Dutton-verse now includes four spinoffs, with Dutton Ranch recently breaking viewing records on Paramount+.

McConaughey and the (Missing) '50s Dutton Show

Now, this brings us to the wild and persistent rumour mill around new spin-offs, particularly the mooted 1950s-era Dutton saga. Apparently, one of the hot names linked to that is none other than Matthew McConaughey. You can absolutely picture the man fitting into this universe—forty-gallon hat, Texan charm, that drawl that’s as recognisable as any Yellowstone accent.

Mike DeAngelo, hosting The Playlist podcast, tried to pin McConaughey down on whether he’s really signing up to play John Dutton (or at least, some Dutton ancestor) in this rumoured series. McConaughey responded with the sort of elliptical non-answer that makes PR folk proud, saying it’s neither more nor less of a thing than the headlines ever made it out to be. To his credit, he didn’t outright shut the idea down either. Here’s how he put it to DeAngelo:

‘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.’

There’s a touch of ‘never say never,’ basically. When pressed, McConaughey did admit he’s still talking with Sheridan—at least in the vaguest Hollywood development sense, confirming that they’ve had chats and the idea’s not completely dead, but there’s nothing locked in either. So, fans hoping to see McConaughey saddled up still have reason for hope, just… temper those expectations for now.

What Happens Next?

Paramount still has a couple of years left with Sheridan, so, theoretically, at least one more Yellowstone spin-off could come together while he’s still involved. Worth pointing out: Sheridan hasn’t been very hands-on with the latest hit, Dutton Ranch, and that hasn’t seemed to hurt the ratings at all. If anything, it proves the franchise might be built to last, whether or not Sheridan’s steering the ship every week.

For fans fixated on the Matthew McConaughey x Sheridan team-up, rest assured that the two are having those creative back-and-forths—and, given how feverishly the original casting rumours spread, there’s no doubt there’d be a massive audience. For now, though, it’s all just talk, chats, and a very busy schedule.