Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan leaves Paramount for massive new film and TV deal

‘Yellowstone’ showrunner will continue to see out deal with Paramount until 2028

Paramount’s most prolific creator, Yellowstone showrunner Taylor Sheridan, is set to leave the network for a massive new deal at NBCUniversal, according to multiple reports.

Sheridan’s Western drama about the Dutton ranching family first aired on Paramount in 2018 and went on to have five wildly successful seasons and multiple spin-offs, including Landman and Lioness.

However, Puck reports that relations began to sour when David Ellison (son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison) bought the company in August for $8 billion.

Citing sources, Puck claims incoming streaming chief Cindy Holland questioned some of Sheridan’s huge production budgets. (The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that Paramount was spending more than $500 million a year on the production of Sheridan’s shows, including $200 million alone for the first season of 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.)

At the same time, many of the executives with whom Sheridan had worked for years were fired or exited the company after the acquisition.

Taylor Sheridan (Getty)

Now, Sheridan has closed a five-year overall deal for film, TV and streaming, with Paramount rival NBCUniversal, which will begin January 1, 2029, after Sheridan’s pact with Paramount ends.

David Glasser’s 101 Studios, the production studio for Sheridan’s full slate of shows, will also move over to Universal, Puck reports.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Sheridan and Paramount for comment.

It comes after Ellison claimed in August to have “a really good relationship” with Sheridan, calling him “a singular genius and content creator.”

“My goal is to have Taylor call Paramount his home for as long as he wants to be telling stories,” the mogul told CNBC.

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‘Yellowstone’ starring Kevin Costner reached its dramatic season five conclusion earlier this year (Paramount)

Sheridan’s current Paramount series include Mayor of Kingstown, Landman, Lioness, Tulsa King and three upcoming Yellowstone spinoffs, Beth & Rip and The Madison for Paramount+ and Y: Marshals for CBS.

Since taking over Paramount, Ellison has spent $7.7 billion on acquiring the rights to UFC, $1.5 billion on a five-year streaming deal for South Park and an undisclosed figure to poach the Duffer brothers (creators of Stranger Things) from Netflix.

Last week, it was reported that Ellison was eyeing up a bid for Warner Bros Discovery after the Hollywood juggernaut put itself up for sale.

In a press release seen by The Independent, the company announced a “review of strategic alternatives” after receiving “unsolicited interest” in both the entire company and Warner Bros. specifically.

Last month, shares in Warner Bros. Discovery soared by nearly 30 percent following reports that Paramount, fresh off its merger with Skydance Media, was preparing a majority cash bid to acquire the media conglomerate.

The company, headed by David Zaslav, is currently valued in the region of $50 billion. “After receiving interest from multiple parties, we have initiated a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to identify the best path forward to unlock the full value of our assets,” he said in a statement to press.