The Yellowstone universe, some of its actors and fans are embarking on a new chapter.
It doesn't take being a Yellowstone viewer to know that fans were devastated when the original show, which first premiered in 2018 and starred Kevin Costner for all but the last season, ended last year after five seasons and 53 episodes, seemingly sooner than previously planned.
However, now the story of the Dutton family will live on through not one but two spin-offs, one based on Kayce Dutton, titled Y: Marshals, and another based on Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser's characters Beth and Rip, which is tentatively titled The Dutton Ranch.
© ShutterstockIn the new Luke Grimes led spin-off, which will premiere next year, his character Kayce joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana, where he and his teammates must balance family, duty and the high psychological cost that comes with serving as the last line of defense in the region's war on violence.
Its premiere episode is being written by Spencer Hudnut and directed by Greg Yaitanes, and is slated to drop midseason in CBS' post-Tracker Sunday 9pm time period.
Moreover, Y: Marshals has welcomed eight cast members so far, including three from the original show, Gil Birmingham, Brecken Merrill and Mo Brings Plenty, as series regulars. Also joining the spin-off are Logan Marshall-Green as Pete Calvin, Arielle Kebbel, known for Rescue: HI-Surf, Ash Santos, known for Pulse, and Tatanka Means, known for Reservation Dogs, also as series regulars, plus Brett Cullen, who was most recently on Ransom Canyon, under a recurring role.
© ShutterstockBrecken will reprise his role as Kayce's son, Tate Dutton, while Gil and Mo Brings Plenty are reprising their original Yellowstone characters as Thomas Rainwater and Mo, respectively. However, missing from the cast additions is Kelsey Asbille, who played Kayce's wife and Tate's mom Monica in the original show, though it was previously reported her absence will likely be explained.
Executive producer and writer Spencer, speaking to Entertainment Weekly about how Luke's character will develop, especially as he focuses on both his new gig and fatherhood, seemingly without his wife, shared: "He is a cowboy, but he is also a Navy Seal, so he has this incredible toolkit of skills to put to the test," adding: "He's a guy who excels running into the fire. As we saw all through Yellowstone, he is really the essence of being a protector, so it felt very natural for him to end up in a position like this where he's putting others first."
"Protecting the ranch and all he got up to in Yellowstone kept him very busy," he went on.
© FilmMagicY: Marshals will kick off a year after the end of the mothership series, and Spencer further shared: "This downtime that he's had between the end of that show and the start of ours has forced him to confront some of his demons and really focus on being a father," and maintaining: "He's a changed man."
© Getty"Kayce having this opportunity to spend more time at home and be more focused on continuing to evolve as a father is definitely one of the big storylines," Spencer also revealed.
He added: "I think Kayce primarily always saw himself as a provider and a protector to his son, but maybe left the parenting to his wife. But as he's had a little more time on the home front, one of the things we get to see is the bond between Kayce and his son and also just seeing Kayce beginning to see a lot more of himself in his son as well."
