Is Matthew McConaughey Still Joining The Yellowstone Universe? Here's What We Know

Alright, I'll admit it: It's hard to keep the "Yellowstone" extended universe straight. Since 2018, the Western drama about warring factions of a powerful Montana family has been a watercooler favorite of TV fans around the country, and this fall, the original series is finally set to begin its last stretch of episodes. In the years since "Yellowstone" first aired, series creator Taylor Sheridan has been pulling double, triple, and quadruple duty, crafting two prequel series (wagon train survival story "1883" and Prohibition-set drama "1923") plus several other unrelated shows for Paramount+.

Now that the end of "Yellowstone" is on the horizon, it's worth straightening out the many differing reports of what's next for Sheridan and the show's future. Poke around, and you'll see reports about no fewer than four "Yellowstone" spin-offs in development, including "6666," "The Madison," "1944," and "2024." It's a lot of dates to keep straight, and each one comes with casting rumors galore, but few names have swirled around as persistently as that of "True Detective" alum Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey's presence in the "Yellowstone" universe was at one time so firmly reported that he's still listed as the star of "2024" on IMDb, but according to sources including Matthew Belloni's Puck Newsletter, it seems likely that the movie star is already on to greener pastures. In August, Belloni clarified that "The Madison," the spin-off that seems most solid at this point, will likely be connected in some way to "Yellowstone," while a different show (no word yet on which) will feature several "Yellowstone" castmates including Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser. Confusingly, other reports from around the same time indicated that Reilly and Hauser's spin-off would be under the "Yellowstone" name, billed as a sixth season, though comments from Reilly have since confirmed that the flagship show — at least as we know it — will be ending with this season.

At any rate, after attempting to clear the air about which follow-up series is which, Puck News writes that McConaughey is probably not going to be in any of them. "McConaughey's involvement in the follow-up was never a sure thing, and at this point I'm told he's probably out," the Hollywood insider wrote. Over at TVLine, meanwhile, Michael Ausiello wrote that McConaughey was originally set to star in the sequel series "2024," which could be the show that features the return of Reilly, Hauser, and Luke Grimes. That same article broke the news that Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, and Patrick J. Adams were nearing deals to star in a show (clarified to be "The Madison," not "2024"), with Ausiello writing that "it's unclear whether Russell will be assuming the role that McConaughey was supposed to play or taking on a new character entirely."

When it comes to why McConaughey dropped out, there are a few points to consider. First of all, it's unclear that the actor was ever properly attached to the project. In June 2023, the actor declined to comment on a Hollywood Reporter profile of Sheridan that claimed McConaughey was "in late-stage negotiations" for the next installment of the "Yellowstone" story. "He seems like a natural fit," Sheridan told the outlet, noting that he had "spitballed" some ideas with the star "over the years" before McConaughey started watching "Yellowstone" and decided he'd be interested in a part in the franchise.

"He was like, 'I want to do that.' And by 'that' he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world," Sheridan explained. "And then I said, 'Buddy, that we can do.'" That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean much until the ink dries on a contract. That doesn't seem to have happened, with Puck News previously reporting (via Esquire) that McConaughey's involvement in a future "Yellowstone" show has been "overstated" in the press, and that the actor didn't want to sign on if Sheridan couldn't deliver a script. As of February of this year, Esquire and Puck say that the actor hadn't gotten one, which isn't exactly surprising given that Kevin Costner cited an alleged lack of timeliness with scripts as one reason he left "Yellowstone" in the first place. This news about McConaughey's hesitance came after a series of new reports positioned the actor as the new face of the franchise, all with the major asterisk that he hadn't officially signed on yet.

It would be great if Sheridan would release a simple status update or statement setting the past several years' worth of "Yellowstone" spin-off rumors straight, but until that happens, fans will have to make do with what is certain. We know that "Yellowstone" is coming back for the long-belated second half of season 5 on November 10, 2024. According to the cast, it will be the show's last, but it likely won't be the last we see of some key characters. After "Yellowstone" concludes, anywhere from one to four spin-off series seems poised to come next. And finally, whatever does come next will likely be star-studded, but according to some reports, McConaughey may not be among those stars. Make sense? Alright, alright, alright.