Although Yellowstone’s prequel 1944 has not happened yet, that doesn’t mean that fans of Taylor Sheridan’s small-screen Western universe should fret quite yet. Yellowstone’s John Dutton might not have lived to see the show’s series finale, but that does not mean that writer/director Taylor Sheridan’s expansive fictional universe died with him. Yellowstone was the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg for Paramount+ when the show became a breakout hit, so the streaming service is now playing every angle of the popular franchise.
While other small-screen Westerns like Netflix’s Godless, The Abandons, and American Primeval couldn’t even secure a second season renewal, Yellowstone has spawned five seasons of the original show, two prequels in 1883 and 1923, and two sequel spinoff shows in Marshals and Dutton Ranch. To be clear, Sheridan’s TV empire extends way, way beyond this franchise, with Lawman: Bass Reeves, Tulsa King, its upcoming spinoff Frisco King, Mayor of Kingstown, The Madison, Landman, and even the spy series Lioness all coming from the writer/director.
However, the Yellowstone franchise remains the most famous series penned by Hell or High Water’s screenwriter, and its Neo-Western stylings have made both Dutton Ranch and Marshals big hits in 2026 alone. Fans of the franchise might be a little confused by the plans for Yellowstone’s future since, at one point, the prequel 1944 and the sequel series 2024 were set to continue the story of the original show after its finale. However, 2024 then morphed into Dutton Ranch and Marshals, leaving 1944 in limbo.
Yellowstone’s 1944 Prequel Is Still In Active Development
Around three years ago, before Yellowstone’s original series finale, early reports indicated that Matthew McConaughey would play the lead in the show’s sequel series, 2024. However, this show has since became The Madison, a 2026 family drama series that not only replaced McConaughey, but also severed any in-universe ties to the Yellowstone franchise. Meanwhile, Yellowstone’s two character-centric sequels, the police procedural Marshals and Beth and Rip’s show Dutton Ranch, directly continued the original show’s story.
Readers could be forgiven for assuming that, with 2024 dead in the water, the planned prequel 1944 has also been canned. However, this seemingly isn’t the case. Industry insider and longtime TV journalist Matt Webb Mitovich noted in his Matt’s Inside Line newsletter that 1944 is still in “active development” at Paramount, despite the ignominious fate of 2024. The Dutton family tree indicates that 1944 could marry the stories of 1923’s Spencer Dutton, originally played by Brandon Sklenar, and Yellowstone’s original protagonist John Dutton.
Obviously, 1944 would feature a far younger version of John Dutton than the grizzled patriarch played by Kevin Costner in the original show. This could be even more compelling than Dutton Ranch season 2 exploring the story of Beth and Rip’s later life, since it would be interesting to see how a young John became the ruthless business man that viewers met in Yellowstone.
How 1944 Will Fit Into Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Franchise Timeline
As the show’s story unfolded, it became increasingly clear that Yellowstone was as much a multi-generational mob epic as a Western, albeit one where ranch land was the family’s moneymaker, rather than drugs or weapons. As such, seeing John Dutton rise to prominence could be an experience akin to The Godfather Part II fleshing out the backstory of Don Corleone, reintroducing the original movie’s unstoppable crime boss as a small-time striver building his business from nothing.
Of course, 1883 and 1923 have already shown how the Dutton family came to possess the sprawling titular ranch of the original show, so John won’t be starting from humble beginnings like so many protagonists in the genre. Still, if 1944 does focus its plot on a younger version of Kevin Costner’s character, the show’s period setting could double down on the “Godfather with horses” feel of Yellowstone.
Both 1883 and 1923 were set so far in the past that the shows felt more like traditional period westerns, like Godless or Lawman: Bass Reeves, than contemporary crime epics. In contrast, as the story of a morally ambiguous, dysfunctional family using crime to keep hold of their business empire, Yellowstone felt more like a sillier version of The Sopranos mixed with the campy, soapy thrills of Dynasty and Dallas.
By bridging the gap between Sklenar’s Spencer and a young John Dutton, 1944 could also bridge this tonal gap, feeling like a crime drama in the vein of The Godfather or a Martin Scorsese movie rather than a straightforward traditional Western. Many of Sheridan’s most acclaimed non-Yellowstone shows, from Landman to Tulsa King, rely on employing Western tropes in the context of modern crime dramas, so 1944 can marry the classic Western feel of 1883 and 1923 with the more modern mob movie sensibility of Yellowstone.
Every Other Yellowstone Spinoff Rumored & In Development
Of course, 1944 isn’t the only Yellowstone spinoff that is reportedly happening. Readers could be forgiven for assuming that Yellowstone 6666 is set in the far future of 6666 A.D., and checks in on the titular ranch long after humanity has died out. However, the show is instead set to focus on the Texas ranch 6666, where the original show’s ranch hands were sent to train as cowboys.
Although this ranch never appeared onscreen in the original series, there was a notable subplot wherein Jefferson White’s ranch hand Jimmy was sent to 6666 and returned as a master cowboy. While this series sounds promising, Sheridan explained to The Hollywood Reporter that this particular entry into the franchise might take a little longer since 6666 is a real-life ranch, meaning the show would need to be more careful about its story than the fictional saga of Yellowstone.
To recap, 2024 was split into The Madison, which then ended up not being a Yellowstone spinoff at all, and Marshals and Dutton Ranch, a pair of direct sequels that, after their successful debut seasons, have since been renewed for second outings. 1883 and 1923 are still set to be followed by the Yellowstone prequel 1944, but the spinoff 6666 is on the back burner for the time being. Thus, Yellowstone fans can expect to see 1944 sometime in the future, as Taylor Sheridan’s franchise returns to the ranch’s past one more time.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
- Release Date
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2018 – 2024-00-00
- Network
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Paramount Network
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
