Shreya Jha
Taylor Sheridan is a famous actor and filmmaker who is best known for writing the screenplay for Sicario (2015) and Hell or High Water (2016) — for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
He became a Paramount icon in 2018 when he launched Yellowstone, beginning his tenure as a creator and showrunner. The story of Yellowstone is based on an American family guarding their land since the Civil War. It’s got that classic vibe, like a king defending his kingdom from outsiders.
The show’s script was so intriguing that as soon as Paramount’s studio executives read it, they expressed immediate interest even though they had to cover their eyes and look down for several reasons.
Paramount Execs Hooked to Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Script Despite Difficulties and Concerns
During a photo shoot for the Four Sixes Ranch cover, while filming Yellowstone in Guthrie, Texas, Taylor Sheridan had a phone chat with the team of Four Sixes Ranch where he revealed something about his successful show.
Taylor Sheridan told Four Sixes Ranch that Paramount got their hands on the script. They gave it a read and then took the creator to LA. They told Sheridan they were interested in his script as it was — and didn’t want any development and wanted him to shoot it immediately.
But Paramount was trying to reinvent itself from being Spike TV, and they wanted to become this premium cable outlet. Sheridan, though, had his doubts, and he went like this:
“I don’t know if this is the right thing for you, because it’s so ambitious. It’s going to be so expensive. It’s not going to make sense from a production standpoint.”
Sheridan added:
They were excited to do it — and it was as difficult as I said it would be, and as expensive and as challenging. But they trusted me. There were a few times, I think, when they covered their eyes and looked down. But they never said stop. And they did the same thing this season.
No doubt, Paramount trusted Taylor Sheridan, knowing the challenges and difficulties involved in producing the show. That’s how they became one of the first TV shows to start shooting again during this coronavirus.
But there’s another scoop. Did you know the show was almost about to start on the HBO television network before it made it to Paramount?
Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Was About to Start on HBO Before Paramount
When the team of Four Sixes Ranch asked Taylor Sheridan, “Before you committed to the Paramount Network, Yellowstone started out at HBO, right?” The talented writer-director-producer said, “That’s correct.”
He then explained:
“And I had written two scripts for them at HBO. But then I sat with the senior vice-president of HBO, who told me that they weren’t going to go forward with it. And when I asked why, he said, “Nobody wants to see this. Nobody wants to see a movie about this. And you don’t understand why anybody is sitting out there in the first place. The whole thing should be a park.” And I said, “Buddy, you’re the exact reason that I’m making this.”
Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter that Yellowstone almost didn’t happen—thanks to an unnamed HBO executive who didn’t believe in the concept. Sheridan had originally written it as a movie, named “The Godfather in Montana,” but then he decided to turn it into a series and pitched it to HBO. He said that programming president Michael Lombardo was supportive, but the rest of his team wasn’t sure about his script.
But Paramount trusted Sheridan, and the show is still trending because of its interesting storyline and universal themes that can be related to anyone watching.
Yellowstone is available to stream on Peacock (with a subscription) and can be purchased or rented on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play Movies.
Source: Four Sixes Ranch, The Hollywood Reporter
