Instead of doing a victory lap for “Hell Or High Water,” screenwriter and now director Taylor Sheridan is keeping the forward momentum going. The filmmaker is headed to Cannes to present “Wind River,” one of a select number of movies organizers choose from Sundance to screen each year. Not only that, he’s gearing up a new TV series, “Yellowstone,” and has landed what seems to be a pretty perfect choice for the lead role.
Kevin Costner has signed up to star in the series that will follow a family of ranchers near the National Park of the title, and how they navigate attempts by land developers, an Indian reservation, and the government, to chip away at their property and empire. Crooked politicians, the slimy machinations of big business, and murder will all come into the picture too. Of course, Costner is no stranger to stories against a grand American backdrop, and this sounds right up his alley. Not to mention he recently scored some small-screen success with the limited series “Hatfields & McCoys.”
Things are moving right along, with filming to get underway this fall, and plans for the series to premiere on Paramount Network (the new name for Spike) next summer, in a ten-episode run. Exciting stuff, but let’s hope this doesn’t put Costner off making that epic 10-hour western he wants to do. [Deadline]