Paramount+ released the trailer for the Yellowstone prequel series 1883 on Sunday, during the Yellowstone Season 4 premiere. 1883 promises to be an expansive Western story, tracking John Dutton’s ancestors as they travel West to Montana, over a century before John fights to keep the ranch they established. The new series stars real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton.
ย “I heard a thousand stories, but none could describe this place,” the narrator said in the trailer as shots of trains and a flaming farmhouse tell the audience when the show is set. “The road west is filled with failures… It was a dream and the dream was coming true.” Young Sheldon star Isabel May plays the Duttons’ teenage daughter and serves as the show’s narrator, while Audie Rick plays the Duttons’ son. Sam Elliott, who plays Civil War veteran and wagon master Shea Brenann, is prominently featured in the trailer as well.
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Just a few days before the trailer was released, Entertainment Weekly shared the first photos from 1883, showing off just how authentic Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan kept the show. The Hell or High Water director refused to use visual effects to build his world. “I go shoot these corners of the world that people haven’t seen. The audience today is so experienced. They’ve seen so much, so to move the audience becomes more and more difficult. It’s incredibly expensive and very difficult. But we can do it as John Ford did it,” Sheridan told EW, invoking the name of the legendary Western director. “When you need 50 wagons, you’re going to see 50 [real] wagons.”
Elsewhere in the magazine interview, McGraw teased a full journey in the first season of 1883. “It’s super dusty and super hot. There’s no way around it,” the country singer told EW. “At the same time, it’s like every kid’s fantasy to do something like this, to put your chaps on, your cowboy hat, and your gun holsters every day. Then you get on a horse and try to survive this journey.”
Billy Bob Thornton also added star power to the cast. He was cast as U.S. Marshal Jim Courtright, although he is not seen in the trailer. The footage did tease flashbacks to the Civil War for Elliott’s character, a grizzled veteran haunted by his past. Brennan has to deal with the added responsibility of bringing the Duttons and other families across the plains. As anyone who has seen the Westerns Sheridan is influenced by, leading settlers out West is never easy. Viewers will see those challenges themselves on Paramount+ when 1883 debuts on Dec. 19.ย
