Taylor Sheridan‘s (“Sicario,” “Wind River“) modern Western series “Yellowstone” has been a huge success for Paramount Network, surpassing “The Walking Dead” as the most popular show on cable TV. And because of that success, they’ve spun off the series with a new “Yellowstone”/Paramount+ project “1883.” As the title suggests is a prequel to the original show led by Kevin Costner as the patriarchy of the Dutton family. They are the biggest landowners in Montana and have to deal with multiple adversaries trying to wrangle it away from them, some violently. The new show tackles the journey of James Dutton in Texas, the ancestor of Costner’s character.
Deadline is revealing a rather large cameo in a flashback sequence in the second episode of “1883” with Oscar-winner Tom Hanks set to play General George Meade during the Battle of Antietam alongside Tim McGraw‘s James Dutton.
Adding that Hanks shot his scene in Weatherford, Texas at the end of September. This is extremely impressive that Paramount was able to keep the cameo secret until now, given how popular the show is.
It’s a huge get for the new show given that Hanks didn’t even appear in his own WWII series on HBO as “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” perhaps speaking to the popularity and pull of the ‘Yellowstone’ brand.
“1883” will debut December 19 on Paramount+ with Faith Hill, Sam Elliot, Billy Bob Thornton, Isabel May, and LaMonica Garrett joining McGraw on the call sheet.
Here is the official synopsis for “1883” from Paramount :
“1883 follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land – Montana.”