Yellowstone has never been nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys, but it should win Outstanding Behind-The-Scenes Drama Series every year for the next five years.
You already know about the tiff between star Kevin Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan (if you don’t, ask your dad). Now Puck is reporting that cast members Cole Hauser (Rip), Kelly Reilly (Beth), and Luke Grimes (Kayce) are asking for huge raises to star in a present-day Yellowstone spinoff that’s being set up in the final episodes of the original series. Complicating matters is salary negotiations (“Reilly initially asked for a whopping $1.5 million an episode, according to two sources, at or above the very top tier of TV stars, though in recent communications that number has come down to $1.2 million”), as well as Reilly and Hauser wanting top billing over above top potential newcomers to the Yellowstone universe: Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Matthew McConaughey is still the top choice to star, but reports of his commitment to the project are overstated; he won’t sign on until he sees a script, which hasn’t happened yet, per his agent. But producers are much closer on Michelle Pfeiffer, who is in negotiations for the female lead and should either close a deal or walk away in the next week or two… Oh, and Reilly and Hauser also asked to be in first position on the call sheet — above McConaughey and Pfeiffer (or whoever play the leads). That’s probably never happening.
It was previously reported that McConaughey was this close to exiting the spinoff due to, among other issues, potential concerns about working with Sheridan. “Taylor’s got a reputation for being a jerk with a God complex,” an insider said. “Matthew doesn’t particularly like behind-the-scenes drama.”
Yellowstone will return — with or without Costner — in November 2024.
(Via Puck)