Kelly Reilly teases the villains of Yellowstone season 5, pointing out that they will be inspired by current events taking place in Montana. Yellowstone season 5 is set to premiere on November 13 on Paramount+, with creator Tyler Sheridan expected to write every episode as he's done with all previous seasons. Besides Reilly, the show stars Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, and Gil Birmingham.
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, owners of the Yellowstone, the largest ranch in Montana, as they contend with land developers, a bordering Indian Reservation, and a national park. Filming for the fifth season began in June in Missoula, Montana, one of several cities in the state used for locations, with all of the production taking place in the state as of the fourth season. Yellowstone has already hinted at the potential return of one of the show's former antagonists from the second season.
In an interview with Vulture, Reilly talks about the growing antagonists that the characters will face off against in the new season. She says how the season's story is inspired by real-life, with billionaires buying up large amounts of land in Montana to develop it, leading to environmental and economic concerns. She also mentions how the Duttons will have to resort to drastic measures to protect their land from the incoming infringers. Read her quote below:
And they’re coming. They’re infringing. It’s like what is really happening in Montana. It is being bought up by billionaires. People come here because they love what I just showed you, but they’re going to destroy it because they come here. The amount of cement, and building, and taking from the land. Where’s the water going to be cleared for the sewage? What is the effect on the environment? They can’t protect it without playing dirty. I mean, I quote Beth’s lines all the time because I love them: 'His dream is the Alamo that I will die defending.'
Antagonists motivated by greed are a common theme in Sheridan's work, with previous seasons of Yellowstone exploring it, as well as his films Hell or High Water and Those Who Wish Me Dead. The Duttons of Yellowstone and their continuing growth and power will serve as an interesting conflict with the new villains who have wealth and power of their own. The theme remains as relevant as ever as the continued environmental impact by the ultra-wealthy remains a sticking point for activists.
Sheridan has been able to bring the Western genre into the modern era with his work, with Yellowstone being his most visible example. The genre's uniquely American roots give it an opportunity to comment on contemporary issues the way no other genres can, as Yellowstone has done since its inception. Fans will have to wait and see what Reilly is talking about with the antagonists the Duttons will face off against in the fifth season, but Yellowstone will continue to be one of the few contemporary Westerns that's both compelling and thrilling for genre fans.
Source: Vulture