Taylor Sheridan ‘Landman’ halfway done as ‘Yellowstone’ fate still unclear

It remains up in the air when “Yellowstone” will return — and if Kevin Costner will be in the final episodes — but creator Taylor Sheridan’s new show starring Jon Hamm is chugging along. 

Hamm, 53, is set to star in Sheridan’s upcoming show, “Landman” on Paramount+, along with Billy Bob Thornton, 68, and Demi Moore, 61. 

“There’s a lot of back and forth, a lot of intrigue and things like that,” Hamm told People.

“It’s Taylor Sheridan and obviously it’s very well written. It’s very well researched. It’s a story very well told, and I think it’s an interesting take on what happens when it comes to how we get the stuff that makes our cars and our lives and our planes and everything in our modern world go.”

“Landman” is based on the 11-part podcast “Boomtown.” 

Per Paramount+, the show is, “An upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”

Hamm will play Monty Miller, a titan of the Texas oil industry. 

This is just the latest show on superstar creator Sheridan’s resume – which also includes various “Yellowstone” spinoffs such as 1883” starring Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; “1923” starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren; the upcoming “6666;” and yet another spinoff, whose title has yet to be announced, starring Matthew McConaughey.

Sheridan also has the shows “Mayor of Kingstown” starring Jeremy Renner, mob drama “Tulsa King” starring Sylvester Stallone, and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” starring David Oyelowo. 

“We’re already halfway through it,” Hamm told the outlet about “Landman.”

“It’s not actually cowboy-oriented at all.”

The “Mad Men” star added, “It’s more in the world of oil. It’s based on oil speculators and what they called landmen, which are the guys that run around and try to acquire mineral rights and land rights in the hope of speculating and finding oil. There’s a lot of oil under the ground here in Texas and they are constantly trying to find it.”

Although he’s successful, Sheridan is not without controversy. 

For five seasons now, “Yellowstone” has been a hit for Paramount, drawing in as many as 17 million viewers into the saga of ranching patriarch and Montana governor John Dutton (Costner, 68) and his adult kids, Beth, Kayce (Luke Grimes, 39) and Jamie (Wes Bentley, 44). 

The “Yellowstone” creator and his star, Costner, have also become involved in a rumored feud that even reportedly led to the end of “Yellowstone,” which will have its series finale at an unspecified date in the fall.

“I’m disappointed,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter, regarding the breakdown of his relationship with Costner. 

“[Costner leaving] truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

Sources close to the “Yellowstone” production have slammed the creator for having a “God complex,” and have attributed their feud to that. Costner has not spoken publicly about their alleged feud.

In May, the news broke that Costner would not return to “Yellowstone” after Season 5. (This was before Paramount announced that Season 5 would be the show’s last.) There were also reports that he refused to be on set filming for more than one week for the second half of Season 5, but Costner’s attorney denied that.

Sheridan blamed their feud on Costner’s desire to make his epic Western movie, “Horizon.”

“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct,” Sheridan told THR in June.

“He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with ‘Yellowstone.’ I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”

Sheridan added, “I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting…His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it.” 

Sheridan has also clashed with his other “Yellowstone” star, Cole Hauser, as Sheridan’s ranch sued Hauser’s coffee brand for trademark infringement. 

But as of yet, Sheridan has stayed in Hamm’s good graces. 

“It’s got Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, so it’s a tremendous cast and it’s been super fun to work on,” Hamm told the outlet. “And obviously, Taylor Sheridan’s in charge of everything, so it’s a great project. It’s a good story. People are going to enjoy it.”

“Landman” has not yet announced its premiere date.