‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser’s New Western Role: What to Know

Cole Hauser could have used his time off from Yellowstone to take a break from the Western genre. Instead, he chose to make a Western movie, Dead Man’s Hand. The film was shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and will be distributed by Lionsgate’s Grindhouse Entertainment Group in North America. Although no release date has been announced, it is expected to hit theaters this year, reports Deadline.

Dead Man’s Hand stars Hauser as a new town marshal who works with a retired gunslinger (Jack Kilmer) to stop a cruel and corrupt cattle baron who is also the town mayor (Stephen Dorff). It was written and directed by Brian Skiba (The 2nd, Pursuit) and is inspired by the graphic novel No Rest of the Wicked – Dead Man’s Hand by Kevin Minor and Matthew Minor. The film was made by Milestone Studios, with Skiba producing for SkibaVision. Other producers are Laurie Love and Jim Burleson. The executive producers are Alan B. Bursteen, Dawn Bursteen, Barry Brooker and Stan Wertlieb.

The story begins with Reno, a gunslinger who retires after marrying his bride. His dreams of reforming himself crash and burn after he kills a bandit in self-defense. The bandit’s brother, Mayor Clarence Bishop, demands revenge, so he almost kills Reno and kidnaps his wife. Reno meets Marshal Roy McCutcheon, and they team up to stop everyone who has done wrong to Reno.

“Dead Man’s Hand is a western rooted in a tragic love story followed by retaliation and nonstop action,” Skiba said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more appreciative to my producing team, the cast, the crew, and Milestone, who collaborated to bring this story to life. Kilmer, Dorff, and Hauser gave exceptional performances, while the scenic Great Plains of Santa Fe provided the perfect backdrop for this western.”

“I was excited to get behind this incredibly gritty story depicting the struggles and spirit of the American West and work with director Brian Skiba, who had a clear vision for the project,” Milestone Studios Co-Founder Dawn Bursteen added. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such gifted individuals and am looking forward to collaborating with Brian again on the upcoming western, Gunslingers.”

Hauser also worked with Milestone on The Minute You Wake Up Dead, which also stars Jaimie Alexander and Morgan Freeman. Hauser is best known for playing Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone. His other credits include Olympus Has Fallen, A Good Day to Die Hard, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Good Will Hunting, and The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.

Yellowstone recently wrapped up the first half of Season 5 on Paramount Network. The season will return this summer, Paramount Network announced after the mid-season finale aired on Jan. 1. The first four seasons are available to stream on Peacock. The prequel series 1883 and 1923 are available on Paramount+.