Yellowstone prequel: Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 will be a two-season, multi-era epic

Last Updated on November 1, 2022

Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone prequel 1923 is turning into something more significant than anticipated. According to Deadline, 1923 will span two eight-episode seasons set across multiple eras. Negotiations to bring cast members back for another batch of episodes are underway. The story explores the Dutton family legacy, including their battle to maintain ranch ownership in the 1940s and 1960s.

1932 will introduce “a new generation of the Dutton family and explore the early 20th century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.”

The first Yellowstone prequel series, 1883, starred Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Isabel May and followed “the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land – Montana.” Taylor Sheridan confirmed earlier this year that 1883 wouldn’t receive a second season. “I created this peek through time to show you this one specific journey,” Sheridan said. “I’m not someone who likes to tie everything up in a bow and explain how everyone lived happily ever after or didn’t. On to the next peek through the window.”

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are stepping into the spotlight for 1923 on Paramount+, who play Jacob and Cara Dutton, respectively. Sebastian Roché (Heatwave, The Vampire Diaries) will also star. Going down the list of players and ranch hands, we find James Badge Dale (The Empty Man, Spectral, The Pacific) playing John Dutton Sr., the oldest nephew and right-hand man of Jacob Dutton (Ford). Darren Mann (Giant Little Ones, Hello Destroyer) slips into the boots of Jack Dutton, John Dutton Sr.’s son and great-nephew to Jacob Dutton. Marley Shelton (Grindhouse, The Sandlot) stars as Emma Dutton, the wife of John Dutton Sr. and mother of Jack Dutton. Michelle Randolph (The Resort, House of the Witch) plays Elizabeth Strafford, a spitfire of a woman hellbent on marrying into the Dutton tribe. Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker, Big Sky) saddles up as Zane, a dedicated ranch foreman. Aminah Nieves (Blueberry, Dogwood) stars as Teonna Rainwater, a young woman stationed at a government residential boarding school. Meanwhile, Julia Schlaepfer (The Politician, The Sky is Everywhere) plays Alexandra, A British woman who comes across one of the Duttons while traveling abroad.

Reports indicate that 1923 will focus on building the Dutton family ranch in Montana. However, Sheridan plans to film in South Africa, Tanzania, and Malta, adding to the prequel’s multi-era reach and majesty. Between Yellowstone, Sheridan’s first Yellowstone prequel series 1883, and the upcoming Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone, we appear to be living in the Age of Sheridan. It’s wild to see multiple projects spin out of the Yellowstone series. Do you think we’re reaching an oversaturation point yet? In the comments, let us know if you’re excited about 1923‘s expansion into two seasons.