The Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser led spin-off, tentatively titled The Dutton Ranch, has officially made its first casting outside of existing Yellowstone characters
The highly-anticipated Yellowstone spin-off starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser is taking shape. Many were heartbroken last year to learn that the original show, which first premiered in 2018 and starred Kevin Costner for all but the last season, would be coming to an end after five seasons and 53 episodes. However, its December ending was luckily followed by good news, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler are coming back with their very own spin-off.
Now, as the series heads into production, Deadline has confirmed its very first casting outside of those already part of the Yellowstone universe: none other than Annette Bening is officially joining the show, which now also has a working title, The Dutton Ranch. Annette, who was most recently on the series Apple Never Falls as well as the movie Nyad, will star as Beulah Jackson, the powerful, cunning and charming head of a major ranch in Texas.
The Dutton Ranch will remain on the same present-day timeline as the original series, which was created by Taylor Sheridan, and share much of its DNA. Its logline reads: “The Dutton Ranch, home to Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, is a testament to the peace they sought, fought for, and nearly died for, as they’ve come to cherish their 7,000-acre land. With tough times and stiff competition, Beth and Rip do what they must to survive, all while ensuring Carter (Finn Little) becomes the man he’s supposed to be.”
Other cast members
Last month, it was also confirmed that the role of Carter will not be recast, and will be reprised by Finn, who joined the original series for its fourth season. In the original series, Finn’s character Carter is a troubled teen who met Beth at the hospital when she was visiting her ailing father, where his own father was dying.
© GettyAfter he loses his father to drug addiction, Beth and Rip take in Carter and give him work on the ranch. Beth is unable to have children due to a forced sterilization, and is initially uninterested in motherhood, however she and Rip eventually develop a strong bond with Carter, who stays with them.
What else we know about the spin-off
Cole, recently speaking with Fox News Digital, shared some new details on the show, first declaring: “Well, first of all, it’s not Dutton Ranch … That’s not the name of it,” hinting that the working title will not stick. However, while the series does not appear to have an official title yet, he nonetheless noted: “We can expect the same that we’ve been doing for the last seven years,” and emphasized: “Kelly and I are going and working our [expletive] off trying to create something special.”
© ShutterstockBloomberg reported last month that Yellowstone creator Taylor is already working on the spin-off, along with producer David Glasser and Paramount co-CEO Chris McCarthy. Though Cole has since squashed the tentative Dutton Ranch title, it is expected the series will begin airing in the fall, with some anticipating it might premiere in November, mirroring Yellowstone’s previous release schedule.
© ShutterstockIn addition to Kelly and Cole’s spin-off, another spin-off starring Luke Grimes, who played fellow Dutton sibling Kayce Dutton, will be coming to CBS in 2026. Both shows will be available to stream on Paramount+, along with two other Yellowstone franchise shows, The Madison, a spin-off starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and 1944, another prequel, such as are 1883 and 1923.
