With the future of the mainline series up in the air, 1883 star Sam Elliott reveals his own pitch for a new Yellowstone prequel show. Elliott starred in the first Yellowstone prequel as Shea Brennan, a former Union Army Captain reluctantly leading the wagon train expedition to Oregon, all while trying to grieve the loss of his wife and daughter from smallpox. After surviving harsh weather conditions and various opposing threats during their journey, 1883 saw Shea take his own life in the series finale, though this may not be the end for the character.
During a recent interview with Variety, Sam Elliott reflected on his time working on Paramount+'s 1883. When asked about his potential return in the future, the Shea actor revealed his own pitch for a new Yellowstone prequel show, interested in exploring more of his and Thomas' backstory and dynamic from the years prior to the start of 1883. See what Elliott said of his pitch below:
I think everybody was sad to see it over; I know I was. I would have liked to have that wagon train go to Canada by then and just stay with it. My thought was, ‘Let’s do a prequel of this. Where was LaMonica? Where were those two guys? Pick it up after the war, when they were Pinkertons. There’s plenty of stuff to do.
Could A Shea & Thomas Yellowstone Prequel Happen?
Shea and Thomas' relationship proved to be one of the main catalysts for the entirety of 1883, with the latter arriving on his partner's doorstep just in time to prevent him from committing suicide following the deaths of his wife and daughter, and thus getting him on the expedition. The rest of the Yellowstone prequel show offered some insight into their respective pasts, including Thomas being a former slave who fled after his owner died and joined the Union Army, where he would first meet Shea.
Given the sensitive nature of the Civil War itself, it seems unlikely Taylor Sheridan and the Yellowstone creative team would elect to adapt Shea and Thomas' time together during the war in a future show, though it doesn't mean they can't have their backstories expanded upon. As noted by Elliott, there is a rich decade-plus of backstory to explore for the duo's time in the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Though it would be a departure from the Dutton-focused nature of the Yellowstone franchise, it would prove a fresh way to keep it feeling fresh.
The other major factor benefiting the potential for Elliott's pitch of a new Yellowstone prequel show is the turmoil surrounding the Kevin Costner-led series. With reports of the actor's filming conflicts potentially derailing the series, Paramount Global are looking for other paths to keep their successful franchise alive, including a Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff, the Harrison Ford-led 1923, which has already earned a season 2 renewal, a 1944-set series and the 1883 spinoff centered on David Oyelowo's Bass Reeves. Given the originally ordered 1883 season 2 found itself scrapped, Sheridan and Elliott may be able to head back to the Old West in a different capacity with the latter's idea.
Source: Variety