'Yellowstone' in Jeopardy as Stars Demand Per-Episode Raises and to Be Featured Before Matthew McConaughey in Credits: Report
Feb. 6 2024, Published 7:15 p.m. ET
The stars of Yellowstone are saddling up to find out where they really stand with the hit western show's producers after asking for a raise to appear in the spinoff.
Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes are seeking a per-episode increase while Paramount has dug its spurs into the ground and set a "take-it-or-leave-it" deadline, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to a new report from Puck News, the parties are stuck in negotiations after Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, demanded $1.2 million for each show after decreasing her original $1.5 million request, while Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler, set his going rate for $1.25 million per-episode, a boost from his $700k per-episode arrangement.
Grimes, who portrays Kayce Dutton, has been more modest with his request, per the report.
Insiders said the OG stars, given their history on the popular series, feel they should appear first in the credits on the new show, instead of actor Matthew McConaughey, who has not yet signed on the dotted line.
McConaughey is interested in the role but won't agree until he feasts his eyes on a script, insiders said. Producers have also set their sights on Michelle Pfeiffer for the spinoff.
The development comes months after A-lister Kevin Costner confirmed he would be leaving Yellowstone because of scheduling conflicts with a separate project he is working on called Horizon: An American Saga.
While on the stand for a child support hearing amid his divorce, the actor divulged that he and Paramount had a "long, hard-fought negotiation" about splitting season 5 into two parts before he reached his decision.
Despite wanting to return for season 6, "I couldn't help them any more. We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative," Costner said.
Creator Taylor Sheridan had spoken out months before and said he thinks very highly of Costner and what he brought to the flagship series.
"My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn't altered," Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter last June. "His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I've never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn't work out on the phone."
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"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," added Sheridan. "He took a lot of this on the chin and I don't know that anyone deserves it."