Rumors erupted Friday over Matthew McConaughey’s insane salary demands to star in the next “Yellowstone” spin-off series.
McConaughey, 54, is expected to star in the first non-prequel spin-off of “Yellowstone,” currently entitled “2024,” which will continue the current storyline co-created by Taylor Sheridan for Paramount+. But we’ve only heard a handful of stories to date surrounding the project, and some back-and-forth confirmations it’s happening with McConaughey at the helm. And now we might know why.
“Matthew and his team know he’s the number one creative choice for the post-Kevin [Costner] version of ‘Yellowstone’ that’s being planned, but Paramount is dragging its feet on his $2.5 million per episode asking price — and there’s a real possibility Matthew will just move on,” sources told the National Enquirer, according to RadarOnline.
Matthew McConaughey Details What He Hopes To Bring To ‘Yellowstone’ | @DailyCaller https://t.co/NIS4HStET9
— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) April 11, 2023
“The expectation was that once the Hollywood strikes ended, sealing the deal would be a quick process but they’re really dragging their feet on meeting his demands!” the source said, according to RadarOnline.
Kevin Costner currently (ish) stars in the leading role of John Dutton on “Yellowstone,” and is paid more than $1 million per episode. With Costner reportedly creating huge amounts of drama off-screen for the series, Sheridan is nervous to fork over the big bucks for another potential diva to join his empire. (RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Production Schedule Released For 2024. Here’s What We Know)
Just ten years ago, McConaughey cleared only $200,000 per episode for HBO’s “True Detective,” Whiskey Riff added, but has since become arguably the most popular actor in entertainment. For him to join the “Yellowstone” series would certainly revive what had become too much of a soap opera, but the series can definitely survive without him. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if things turn out alright, alright, alright.