Reports of a pay dispute over the next chapter of Yellowstone have emerged, with fans suggesting that “Matthew McConaughey is ready to walk” from the upcoming project.
As Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone world continues to expand with a number of proposed spinoffs, the flagship series is being taken to the train station amid the news that Kevin Costner is ready to say goodbye to his role as John Dutton.
With just Season 5 Part 2 left to go, focus has turned to the spinoff series that will take Yellowstone’s place. A project starring Matthew McConaughey as the lead has been the main theory for months, but a new report has cast doubt on the idea.
The report, which claims that Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton), Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler), and Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton) are involved in a pay dispute, is just one of many rumors regarding behind-the-scenes drama, causing fans to speculate about McConaughey’s involvement.
Yellowstone fans think “McConaughey is ready to walk” over pay dispute
Amid news that Reilly, Hauser, and Grimes are in a “financial standoff” with Paramount, one fan took to Reddit to claim, “McConaughey is ready to walk. He mentioned he’s never seen salary negotiations so messed up. It’s been months.”
Over the weekend, Puck News dropped its latest newsletter to discuss BTS developments with the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff, which is set to serve as the flagship series once Season 5 Part 2 is out.
While Reilly, Hauser, and Grimes weren’t originally considered for the spinoff, the trio have a pay-or-play clause in their contract for Season 6 – even though it’s not happening. And it’s believed Sheridan wants to incorporate them as a bridge to the new story.
However, the newsletter states pay disputes between the stars and Paramount are “getting ugly,” alleging that Reilly’s agents were requesting $1.5 million per episode before dropping the figure to $1.2 million.
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Sources also state that Hauser asked for $1.25 million an episode, which is a significant jump from his current $700,000 salary. The duo reportedly have asked for “first position in the call sheet” – above McConaughey and the proposed new lead, Michelle Pfeiffer.
As for McConaughey, talks have circulated for months that he is Sheridan’s #1 choice to lead the new show, but the newsletter suggests that reports about 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.”
The Redditor who suggested McConaughey is “ready to walk” appears to be referring to an article by Life & Style [via Yahoo], in which a source told the outlet that the True Detective star “still doesn’t have clarity” on when the project will start.
“No deal has ever taken this long for Matthew,” they said, later adding, “Matthew doesn’t particularly like behind-the-scenes drama.”
When the article was shared last month, one Redditor said, “Don’t climb IN a dumpster that’s on fire, MM.” “All right, all right, all right,” quipped another. “Not all right because I was excited to hear about MM’s involvement so this is potentially bad news.”
For now, all we can do is wait for updates – you can keep tabs on our Yellowstone coverage here.
