Everyone Assumes ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1944’ Is Coming — Is It?

A new Yellowstone prequel called 1944 seems like the best bet on television.

Every single show from this franchise sets ratings records on Paramount or Paramount+, and for the most part, it’s great television.

Sure, we find reason to criticize, and Season 2 of 1923 only got an aggregate grade of ‘B’ or ‘B-‘ from the Dutton Rules podcast team. But compared to most shows on television — especially network television — that’s pretty dang good!

So, if smart people do smart things, we’ll get 1944 in late 2025 or early 2026.

• Season 2 of 1923 ended in early April, wrapping up this era in Dutton history.
• Taylor Sheridan is the primary creator behind every show in the franchise and often the only writer.
• He also created four more shows for Paramount+

That’s not a big “if,” but it’s an “if.” There are three reasons I’m remaining on the edge of this pool and warning others to not dive in emotionally, but first …

Yellowstone Prequel 1944 — Everything We Know:

Here is everything we know about Yellowstone prequel 1944 and everything that was rumored to be true and either isn’t, or isn’t yet.

The show would be the third Yellowstone prequel, following 1883 and 1923. Each of these has offered a history lesson in addition to advancing the Dutton family storyline. During 1883, we got a master class on Western expansion and tensions between white settlers and Native Americans.

1923 was set in the shadow of World War I, just a few years before the Great Depression. Viewers came to understand a transition to modern technology on one front, and the abuse of Native Americans at Catholic boarding schools on another.

If this new prequel ends up being set in 1944 (remember, both 1923 and 1883 were first introduced with different year names before pivoting), the show is likely to zoom in on Montana’s great population decline, in part due to World War II. Many people assume that a Dutton will have fought in the war, or maybe even is fighting.

Spencer’s child would be 20 years old, and the baby Jack and Elizabeth made would be about the same age. This is where we start to get into speculation territory.

Which Duttons will we focus on? It’s tempting to assume Spencer Dutton would lead this new show, but that’s not how 1923 worked after 1883. The writers chose to shift to James Dutton’s brother and his wife (Jacob and Cara), explaining later how and why they ended up adopting Spencer and John. Still, if Spencer does lead the show, actor Brandon Sklenar wants in.

“Give me some gout, a little hunch and some salt and pepper. I’ll gravel the voice up a bit,” he tells the Hollywood Reporter. “If it comes around, I’d love to do it. I really would. I definitely don’t want to say goodbye to Spencer. I love that guy.”

This character would be in his 50s, and with makeup, the 34-year-old Sklenar could make it work.

It’s likely a true A-list actor (or even two) will be cast alongside him. Maybe the widow he made a baby with ends up being someone of a Julia Roberts caliber? I think that’s necessary, because Sklenar – while great — is not quite a leading man in Hollywood.

Three Reasons 1944 May Never Happen:

I’m not skeptical, just cautious, because — as co-host of the Dutton Rules podcast — I recognize this kind of hype and have seen how it ends. Here are my three reasons.

First — and admittedly this is a little weak — Taylor Sheridan seems like he’s forever trying to put 10 pounds of creative sugar into a five-pound sack. Landman, Tulsa King, Lioness, Mayor of Kingstown and (until last week) 1923 were all shows he was balancing.

Add to that rumors of this new prequel, another show starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser (Beth and Rip of Yellowstone) and a CBS procedural based on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes).

Will he have time for all of this?

As I said at the start, the success of all Yellowstone shows could allow 1944 to skip the line, but all of these shows could slow progress. That’s a worry, because …

The sale of Paramount is looming. SkyDance Media is planning to acquire Paramount, and that means new bosses. New bosses mean new priorities and new rules. Rumors of tighter budgets for each episode have already spilled into the press. Can a man who’s used to $12 to $16 million for an episode suddenly work at a very T.J. Maxx-ish $9 million?

Probably. But eventually his contract will expire, and if there’s discontent he could jump ship before he gets to 1944. It’s a hypothetical worth considering.

Finally, I’m nervous because of the other rumored shows that never materialized. There was talk of more Lawmen: Bass Reeves spinoffs, and once upon a time, a show based on the 6666 Ranch in Texas seemed as sure as snakes in Teeter’s tent (Yellowstone fans get it).

Matthew McConaughey was going to join the family and then he wasn’t. Kurt Russell is another actor rumored to be deputized Dutton. Nope. Not yet, anyway.

These weren’t merely rumors spread on Reddit — they were sourced news stories offered by credible outlets like Variety, Deadline and Puck.

Officially, no one attached to Paramount, SkyDance or any of the Yellowstone shows has confirmed 1944 on the record. There is no cast, shooting schedule or known plot. Despite what some less reputable YouTube channels will tell you, there is no trailer, either.

All of this could come — it should come — but until then, guard your heart. 1923 gave us enough tragedy for awhile, didn’t it?