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TV projects go through a great deal of change from conception to execution. The Yellowstone spinoff The Madison is no exception. When the show was first ordered to series, it had a different title – and Matthew McConaughey led it. Now, with the show set to begin filming and the cast more or less in place, can we still expect to see Matthew McConaughey in the Yellowstone spinoff?

Will Matthew McConaughey Appear in the Yellowstone Spinoff?

The answer seems to be no, and though no one has gone on the record with the whys, it’s easy to put the pieces together. Paramount ordered The Madison to series last fall, though it was then called 2024. At the time, it was reported that Matthew McConaughey was attached to star, with Paramount Media Networks head Chris McCarthy confirming to Town & Country Mag that McConaughey would be joining the Yellowstone universe.

But in January of this year, Life & Style reported that the deal was taking too long, with McConaughey reportedly considering walking away from the project. Then, in February, Puck reported that McConaughey was “still the top choice to star, but reports of his commitment to the project are overstated.” At the time, according to Puck, McConaughey was waiting to see a script before signing on.

Either McConaughey didn’t like the creative direction or he was never provided with a script, because when news of the casting for the show broke in August, McConaughey’s name was no longer in the mix. Instead, Kurt Russell was rumored to star, and Matthew Fox later signed on. The show will also star Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick J. Adams.

It is unclear yet if Russell was being pursued to take over the role McConaughey was originally going to play, and if that is indeed the role that has now gone to Fox or if Russell is somehow still in the mix. It’s also unclear if the show has just been retooled completely without McConaughey or if The Madison is still more or less the same idea as 2024.

The Madison is rumored to follow wealthy matriarch Stacy Clyburn and her family after they leave New York and head to Montana after her husband and brother-in-law tragically die in a plane crash.

Yellowstone is Paramount Network’s drama series following the Dutton family, the owners of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, also known as “The Yellowstone,” aka the largest ranch in Montana. The series premiered in 2018 and stars Kevin Costner as patriarch John Dutton III. The Yellowstone series is basically a family drama about the issues at the ranch with the nearby Broken Rock Indian Reservation, wealthy land developers, and more.  Yellowstone was expected to end with Season 5, and do so without Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III, as Costner announced he was leaving the series earlier this year. New reports, however, indicate Yellowstone might continue with Season 6, which will have Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) at the center.