Matthew McConaughey gives update on rumored 'Yellowstone' spin-off series, years after reports first surfaced

Matthew McConaughey is clearing the air about his rumored "Yellowstone" spin-off.

During a recent appearance on The Playlist’s "Discourse" podcast, the 56-year-old actor discussed the status of the rumored "Yellowstone" spin-off he was meant to star in, giving fans some hope that they might still see him in that universe.

"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," McConaughey said. "Taylor and I have spoken and have continued to have conversations about what [it could be] and if that would be whatever. But nothing’s real yet."

Rumors of a potential collaboration between McConaughey and Taylor Sheridan first sparked in 2023, when Sheridan was still trying to figure out the end of "Yellowstone" and whether its star, Kevin Costner, would return.

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During the gap between the first half of the show's final season and the second, rumors began swirling that McConaughey and Sheridan were in talks for a potential spin-off of the show. 

Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023 that McConaughey "seems like a natural fit."

"We had a few conversations over the years and spitballed a few ideas," Sheridan said. "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.’"

"Yellowstone" aired its series finale in December 2024 without Costner, Sheridan giving his character an off-screen death.

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It was announced in August 2024 that two of the show's stars, Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly, who played Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, would star in their own spin-off series, "Dutton Ranch," which saw the two characters leave Montana to start fresh in Texas.

While this show is an extension of the "Yellowstone" universe, Sheridan stepped away from the writers' room during the first season, although he is still an executive producer.

"There were challenges, you know?" Hauser told Film Inside NYC in July. "Not having Taylor [Sheridan] there for us to really kind of be able to work with these new writers, these new directors, these people ... everything had changed."

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In the end, Hauser said he is "proud of what we accomplished" on the show, crediting everyone on set for having to "figure out on our feet how to really perform and tell a story," noting, "I look forward to doing it again."