After the Dutton family settled in Paradise Valley with Elsa, and Shea joined his wife in Oregon in the final episode of 1883, viewers and studio execs alike asked themselves, in shock; what next?
With over five million viewers, Sheridan killed off half the cast before the credits rolled. Social went into a tizzy. Would there be a season 2? If so, how? Could we get an 1883 movie? The people demand answers.
For Taylor Sheridan’s part, though, 1883 was a standalone series. “It’s the one great thing about the Dutton family; you can skip generations and put them in all these unique situations, and it has nothing to do with Yellowstone, nothing to do with 1883 and yet it’s tethered completely to them, but they’re all standalone,” the western filmmaker said.
But Sheridan’s universe isn’t disconnected. We believe there are Yellowstone/Western tie-ins to several of Sheridan’s productions, including Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, 1923 (the sequel to 1883), and the upcoming 6666 (four sixes) project. It could all be coincidental (excluding 1923), but the thread is there to pull, nonetheless.
But could we see an 1883 movie?
What we know about Sheridan’s plans for an 1883 movie
So far, there are no plans for an 1883 movie. However, fans can travel back to 1883 when 1883: The Bass Reeves Story drops in late 2023. Bass Reeves, known as the first black US Marshall to work west of the Mississippi, has already been cast with David Oyelowo (Martin Luther King, Selma) and Dennis Quaid as Deputy U.S. Marshal Sherrill Lynn. The six-part limited series will follow the legendary lawman across parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Limited series also means there is no 1883 movie on the horizon, for now.
Still, 1883 was a massive success, and arguably the best story to come from the Yellowstone universe, yet. We just can’t rule out an 1883 movie.
1883 Credit: Paramount
What would an 1883 movie be about?
Taylor Sheridan has done an outstanding job building out the Yellowstone universe. When we make the jump from 1883 to 1923, we find out that James and Margaret Dutton have passed, John is an adult, and his baby brother Spencer, born after the events of 1883, is hunting dangerous animals in Africa to process his experiences from the Great War. And come February 5, 2023, we expect to see Spencer sail back to the US to pay a visit to the sheepherders who’ve caused so much trouble at the Yellowstone Dutton ranch.
So we’ve got a good account of what’s happening with the Duttons. And as Sheridan indicated in previous interviews, Bass Reeves is intended to be a standalone. So who could carry an 1883 movie?
LaMonica Garrett’s Thomas would be incredible in an 1883 movie
One of the few winners of 1883 was Thomas, Shea’s wagon train partner and longtime friend. While Shea, Elsa, Josef’s wife, Claire Dutton, and Mary Abel’s stories have come to an end in 1883, Thomas and his new wife Noemi ride off for Oregon and their happily ever after (something LaMonica confirmed in a Tweet last February).
-Somewhere in Oregon-
Journey of a lifetime. Thank y'all for hitchin aboard our wagon train and taking the journey with us. 🙏🏾❤️
@1883Official #1883TV pic.twitter.com/CcRmUeHQve— LaMonica Garrett (@lamonicagarrett) February 28, 2022
But Garrett hasn’t been shy about his interest in playing Thomas again – honestly, who can blame him? Garrett killed that role.
So far, however, Garrett’s interest seems to be on 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, rather than an 1883 movie.
Speaking to TV Guide last September, Garrett talked about reprising his role as Thomas.
“To me, that’s a perfect world for Thomas. It’s the same period. He knows the terrain, he knows the area. I’m sure Thomas and Bass Reeves have bumped into each other at some point or another, in my head…If I was writing the scripts, I’d for sure put it in there.”
Garrett has even indicated he’d be interested in a 1923 cameo – with the right makeup (he’d be aged 40 years).
Sadly, while it would be compelling to see Thomas return in The Bass Reeves Story, should it come to pass, it would effectively put our chances of getting a LaMonica Garrett 1883 movie at zero, for now. The Bass Reeves Story is said to take place on the steppes and plains of Oklahoma and Arkansas, pulling Thomas away from Oregon and into another supporting role behind David Oyelowo.
So, if we’re not going to get an 1883 movie about Thomas and Noemi, who else could carry a one-off film from 1883?
Will Sam and the Comanche hunt down the Lakota who killed Elsa?
Since the first season of Yellowstone, Sheridan has found ways to blend the Native American perspective into the series narrative. From the kindness of Spotted Eagle to the torture of Teonna Rainwater and the desperate attempts of Thomas Rainwater to regain control of the valley, Sheridan has never shielded viewers from the ugly side of the Wild West’s history.
Could Sam (Martin Sensmeier), seeking revenge for the death of Elsa, be the vehicle he uses to tell that story?
Historically, the Comanche and Lakota (Sioux) were not enemies. Sam’s Comanche tribe occupied the southwestern United States while the Sioux reigned in the northern territories and Dakotas.
But is it far-fetched to imagine Sam looking for vengeance? After all, he stole his name from the man who killed his first wife (an American named “Sam”). And while Hollywood doesn’t have an abundance of films told from the perspective of Native Americans, Dan Trachtenberg just gave us a front-row seat to the legendary bravery of the Comanche in Prey (a Hulu original and prequel to the Predator franchise). How incredible would it be to see America embrace a film about a Comanche warrior protecting his slice of the west?
In any case, an 1883 movie that sees either Bass Reeves, Thomas, Sam, or James Dutton cross paths once more would be a hit.
And then there’s Josef, the German immigrant and translator played by Marc Rissmann. Overlooked, and more a plot device than protagonist, Josef manages to survive 1883, albeit maimed and widowed, putting a claim to a piece of land in Oregon near Thomas and Noemi. But Josef’s journey is just as consequential in American history as any other from the Yellowstone franchise.
Immigrating from Germany in the 1880s along with 1.5 million religious refugees from Eastern Europe, Josef’s story is the history of some 49 million Americans with German ancestry (roughly 17 percent of the population today).
Does Taylor Sheridan plan to turn American history into one of the most expansive and well-crafted shared universes in television history? Whether or not we eventually get an 1883 movie, we can’t wait to see what Sheridan has in store for us when 1883: The Bass Reeves Story arrives on Paramount Plus this year. In the meantime, we’ll have to settle for 1923 part 2, which returns to Paramount Plus on February 5th.