Billy Bob Thornton in Talks to Star in ‘Yellowstone’ Creator’s Next Show Following ‘1883’ Role

Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan has several projects in the works, including Land Man, a new series based on the acclaimed Texas Monthly podcast about the oil boom in West Texas. Billy Bob Thornton, who has a recurring role in Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel 1883, is reportedly in talks to star in the project. The series will be available on Paramount+, which is also the home of 1883 and the Jeremy Renner-starring Mayor of Kingstown.

Land Man is one of at least eight projects Sheridan is involved in at the moment. Thornton is in “early talks” with producers to star as an oilman in the show, journalist Matt Belloni reported in his latest Puck newsletter on Sheridan’s success. Land Man was announced in February 2021, when ViacomCBS also announced plans to develop another Yellowstone spinoff, 6666. Executive producers on Land Man include Sheridan, David Glasser, Ron Burkle and Bob Yari.

The series is based on Boomtown, Imperative Entertainment and Texas Monthly‘s 11-episode podcast that began in December 2019. Boomtown told the story of the oil boom in West Texas and its impact on the environment, economy, and geopolitics. Sheridan mined an upstairs/downstairs-style story about the roughnecks and billionaires involved in the boom.

It’s hardly surprising that Thornton would be involved in another Sheridan project. He has a recurring part in 1883 as Marshal Jim Courtright, his first TV role since finishing Amazon Prime Video’s Goliath. In December, Thornton told PEOPLE he loved Sheridan’s writing. “Like I said, I believe shows like this are what people want to watch now… because they want to invest themselves in something that takes some time to see,” he said at the 1883 premiere.

Sheridan’s workload has boomed since Yellowstone became a smash hit for Paramount Network. Aside from Yellowstone, Land Man, and 1883, Sheridan is also working on Kansas City, a mob drama starring Sylvester Stallone that will film in March. He also has Lioness, with Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana in talks to star as female Marines in Iraq. There is also Bass Reeves, starring David Oyelowo as the Black Western lawman, and 6666, a Yellowstone spinoff about the Texas ranch seen in the show. All of these projects are in the works for Paramount+. Unfortunately, the first four seasons of Yellowstone are only available to stream on NBCUniversal’s Peacock thanks to a licensing deal signed before the pandemic.