‘Yellowstone’: Faith Hill Teases First Script for ‘1883’ Prequel

The upcoming Yellowstone prequel 1883 is finally shaping up with its initial cast revealed this week and one of the show’s first announced actors and country megastar Faith Hill is sharing a sneak peek at the next chapter in the Dutton family saga. In a Boomerang video post shared to her social media, including Twitter and Instagram, on Aug. 4, Hill posted a sneak peek at the pilot script while bare-faced and in double buns. Hill will join her husband, Tim McGraw and Sam Elliott for the prequel series, streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

“Finally the day has come when I get to share some exciting news with you! I will be playing Margaret Dutton, the original matriarch of the Dutton family in the Yellowstone prequel 1883. Just wait, you have never seen anything like this!” she wrote alongside the caption. In the second shot of the carousel shared to her grid, Hill revealed a look at the production draft’s title page listing Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan as the writer and director.

The news announcement sparked excitement from Hill’s fans and friends, including Rita Wilson who wrote, “You know I cannot wait for this!” Meanwhile, Little Big Town member Karen Fairchild added, “FAITH!!!!! Can’t wait!!!!!” Hill and her husband, McGraw will play Margaret and James Dutton in 1883 — the ancestors of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, currently seen in Yellowstone. Hill’s husband McGraw also took to social media to share the big news, speaking directly to the camera in a video he shot, teasing how fans can now finally rest the speculation over his beard. “A lot of you asked about my beard, so now you know why,” he joked.

The prequel series will offer fans another, more subtle yet dramatic look at the Dutton family before they acquired wealth, power and ultimately, control of the largest contingent ranch in the U.S. In an official announcement by the show, 1883 will be a “stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.”

In a statement for Variety, Hill revealed this was the “opportunity of a lifetime” for her and her husband. “The Duttons are a formidable family and it is an absolute dream to bring such a strong female character like Margaret Dutton to life. I am humbled and honored to work with Taylor and his entire team.” This will be Hill’s first major role since starring in Dixieland in 2017 and a small role alongside Nicole Kidman in the 2006 drama, The Stepford Wives. She also previously appeared in an episode of Touched by an Angel in 1997.