Crystal Wise
It can be a daunting task, to say the least, keeping up with all things Taylor Sheridan nowadays. Last year alone, Sheridan released “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” on Paramount+, and announced another “Yellowstone” spinoff “6666” starring Matthew McConaughey, all while keeping his eyes on other projects. One of these other projects “Land Man” just so happens to be currently filming in the DFW area. And much like the extras used in the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” Sheridan is tapping DFW locals to fill the slots for his latest show already in production. Local talent agency Legacy Casting is putting out the call for any roughnecks interested in filling a few scenes being filmed in and around Fort Worth and Weatherford.
Legacy Casting
Legacy Casting recently put out this call on Facebook for Latino roughnecks between the ages of 20 to 40 with oil, gas, and pumpjack experience to be extras in a few scenes. “Land Man” is based on a Texas Monthly 11-part podcast, “Boomtown” hosted by Christian Wallace, who also gets credit for being the upcoming show’s co-creator and executive-producer along with Sheridan.
The podcast revolves around Wallace’s experience growing up in a small town in West Texas where he worked as a roughneck in the Permian Basin during one of the biggest oil booms in U.S. history.
Billy Bob Thorton will head up the ensemble cast of this new show, which includes Michelle Randolph, Jacob Lofland, and Ali Larter to name a few. According to an article by Wide Open Country, Thorton will play a crisis manager for an oil company. This marks the second time Sheridan and Thorton will work together after the “Sling Blade” actor played the sheriff of Fort Worth in the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883.”
“Land Man’s” synopsis gives viewers an inside look at the juxtaposition between the oil field workers (roughnecks) and the billionaires running the company. In “Boomtown” Wallace highlights how the oil boom affected the real estate market as well as how it affected the locals following the black gold rush since its discovery in the Permian Basin, which was producing 4.2 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2019. This storyline has Sheridan written all over it figuratively and literally, which is sure to appease many “Yellowstone” fans with its twists and turns and hyper-real depiction of everyday life.
Speaking of “Yellowstone”, an article in the Hollywood Reporter surmises the second half of the fifth and final season of this popular show is set to air in November of this year. What’s not clear is if the show’s star, Kevin Costner, who plays the lead character John Dutton in the Western saga will return.
As for rumors of the production of yet another Sheridan pinned “Yellowstone” spinoff/prequel “1923,” chances are this show will too be ready for viewing sometime this fall. Brandon Sklenar, who portrays Spencer Dutton in the "Yellowstone" prequel spinoff, told Fox News last week, "I will [get a chance to film with my costars] in the last eight episodes that we're about to start." This coupled with several other Sheridan-produced shows that include “Tulsa King” and “Mayor of Kingstown” should keep fans of this Western scribe enthralled for a while. Just don’t forget to set reminders on your smart TVs.
