Crystal Wise
"Landman" co-producer Christian Wallace
It’s a verifiable truth that the stars are out in full swing on the streets of Cowtown. Sightings of Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton, “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm, and miss “G.I. Jane” herself, Demi Moore continue to pop up on Fort Worthian’s Instagram posts daily. Posts show said stars frequenting our local shops and cafes, leaving us with a sense of transposed camaraderie. We know these places are cool, but if Thornton shops there it seems to be just a little cooler, am I right?
On the flip side, there are plenty of Taylor Sheridan burnouts in Cowtown as well. Point in fact, our last scenario of conjecture stating what Joe T. Garcia’s would look like under Sheridan if he was to buy the iconic Fort Worth eatery left us with the notion that there are a few of us not happy with his unfinished projects. Rumors of “Yellowstone’s” final season continue to surface. Will it, or will it not have Kevin Costner in it? When will the second half of “1923” be released? And if “Landman” is in full production, when and where will the show air?
So far, there hasn’t been a definitive answer for the first two questions. But for question number three we might know a bit more given some of the info we’ve gleaned over the past few months. It’s no secret that “Landman” itself is being shot almost exclusively in Fort Worth. Camp Bowie Boulevard is host to many yellow signs that read “Catering,” “Crew Parking,” and a slew of initials that only those on the production team are privy to. And although we might not know exactly what some of these symbols mean, we know for sure that there’s filming afoot.
The Show Itself
Another thing we do know, is that “Landman” is being co-produced by Christian Wallace, who was host of the Texas Monthly podcast “Boomtown,” which is what this new show is based on. Add Sheridan as a co-producer and you have what pretty much everyone who follows this production knows. The show itself is a West Texas tale about "an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires that are fueling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy[,] and our geopolitics."
But does that really answer our question about the show’s plot? We found that the definition of the term landman was a bit more helpful. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a landman is the public facing side of an oil, gas, mineral or other energy sources exploration and production team who interacts and negotiates directly with landowners to acquire leases for the exploration and development of minerals or other energy sources. In other words, prospectors of black gold. Within this term there are also three subcategories of landmen that include an in-house company landman, an independent field landman, and an independent land consultant.
The Cast
Thornton himself will be taking on the lead role of Tommy Norris, a crisis manager in an oil company, a position that comes with a great deal of cunning and foresight. This marks the second time Thornton will enter the Sheridan-verse given he portrayed the historical figure of Jim Courtright in the “Yellowstone” prequel series“1883.”
Hamm will portray the role of Texas oil titan Monty Miller, who has a long personal and professional relationship with Thornton’s character Tommy Norris. Also verified in February was the addition of Moore, who will take on the role of Cami, who we speculate will be playing Hamm’s wife on the show. Also on the acting roster for "Landman" are Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, and Jacob Lofland, who will portray members of the Norris family.
Larter, who’s appeared in the films “Final Destination” and ‘Legally Blonde” will play the role of Tommy's former wife, Angela. Randolph, who previously appeared as Elizabeth Dutton in the “Yellowstone” prequel “1923,” will take on the role of Ainsley Norris, a headstrong 17-year-old and Tommy's daughter. Lofland, who’s previous work includes roles in the movies “Mud” and the “Maze Runner” series, will take on the role of Cooper Norris, Tommy's son. According to an article in Wide Open Country, Cooper is just beginning to navigate the challenging environment of West Texas's oil and gas fields as a greenhorn.
Production
And if you read between the lines of the cast of characters it seems “Landman” will take a good look at the entire oil industry from the board rooms of billionaires to the sweaty reality of the roughnecks out in the field.
Behind this collaborative creation is Sheridan who also serves as “Landman’s” executive producer along with Thornton, which in a real-life situation of art imitating life are currently in a lucrative deal with Paramount Global over this production. On the executive production team under Wallace, Sheridan, and Thornton are David Glasser, David Hutkin, Ron Burkle, and Bob Yari of 101 Studios. And speaking of studios, this series is being produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, much like many of Sheridan’s other shows that include, “Mayor of Kingstown,” and “Tulsa King.”
As for the show’s premiere and release date, Hamm told People Magazine in March that the production on “Landman” is "already halfway through."
"It's not actually cowboy-oriented at all," Hamm told Town & Country Magazine, "It's more in the world of oil. It's based on oil speculators and what they called landmen, which are the guys that run around and try to acquire mineral rights and land rights in the hope of speculating and finding oil.”
As for when “Landman” will premiere, it’s still a matter of conjecture. Since this will be part of the lucrative deal Wallace, Sheridan, and Thornton struck with Paramount Global, it’s safe to say the show will most likely appear on Paramount+ sometime in 2025.
"There's a lot of back and forth, a lot of intrigue and things like that,” Hamm added. “It's Taylor Sheridan and obviously it's very well written. It's very well-researched. It's a story very well told, and I think it's an interesting take on what happens when it comes to how we get the stuff that makes our cars and our lives and our planes and everything in our modern world go."
