Matthew McConaughey & Cole Hauser Join Forces for Netflix’s Next Big Football Drama

Matthew McConaughey and Yellowstone‘s Cole Hauser are teaming up for a new football drama series that’s currently in the works at Netflix. New details about the project have emerged.

Deadline reports that Netflix is working on a currently untitled drama project starring and executive produced by McConaughey and Hauser. True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto and Skydance Sports (now merged with Paramount) are also involved with the project. Plot details remain under wraps, but it is ‘believed to be set in the world of football’, though it is unclear whether it is college football or professional. McConaughey and Hauser are reported to be playing brothers for the series.

After starring together in 1993’s Dazed and Confused, McConaughey and Hauser have been friends, with Deadline revealing that they have been ‘kicking around the idea [for the series]’ over the last two decades. The series’ name and any other details, including its potential release window, were not made available at this time.

Image via HBO

McConaughey and Pizzolatto previously teamed up for True Detective as well as the straight-to-series drama, Redeemer, that never moved forward. More recently, the two were rumored to be collaborating on a Mike Hammer movie, but the project is still in the early stages at this time.

As for Hauser, his notable film roles include Good Will Hunting, Pitch Black, 2 Fast 2 Furious and A Good Day to Die Hard. On television, he is known for his role as Rip Wheeler in Paramount Network’s Western drama, Yellowstone, created by Taylor Sheridan.

McConaughey and Hauser Have More In Store for 2025 & Beyond

While it remains to be seen when Netflix’s new football drama will get off the ground, the project is part of a recent return to acting for McConaughey. His last on-screen role was in 2019’s The Gentleman, but he has two projects lined up for 2025 that will see a return to form. The Rivals of Amziah King, a crime thriller by Andrew Patterson, premiered at South by Southwest earlier this year and is planning a theatrical release at a later date. McConaughey will also star in the survival drama The Lost Bus, which will hit theaters on Sept. 19 before streaming on Apple TV+ on Oct. 3.

Hauser concluded his run on Yellowstone at the end of 2024, but the hit franchise is set to continue with a new spinoff, currently titled The Dutton Ranch. New details about the series have begun to emerge, with Hauser and Kell Reilly both set to reprise their roles from the Yellowstone series.