Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Cast in ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel

'1883' will reveal the Dutton's origin story.

Written by Chris Parton
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Cast in ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 17: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Perform On NBC's Today at Rockefeller Plaza on November 17, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Country supercouple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been cast in a prequel to one of the nation’s most popular TV shows, joining the lineup of the upcoming 1883.

Set for the Paramount+ streaming network, the country stars will help tell the origin story Yellowstone’s infamous Dutton family, along with Academy Award nominee, Sam Elliott.

A Western-style drama set in the year 1883, the show will follow the Dutton family as they cross the Great Plains, feeing poverty to the untamed wilderness of Montana to setting up the Yellowstone ranch. McGraw and Hill will play the family’s leaders, James and Margaret Dutton, while Elliot plays the hardscrabble cowboy tasked with guiding the journey, Shea Brennan. The show was created by Taylor Sheridan, who also brought Yellowstone to life.

“It all starts with the writing, and Taylor Sheridan is a brilliant writer,” says Elliott. “I think the western genre speaks clearly to both of us. The classic struggles of man against man, man against nature, and man against himself. It’s all there, in 1883, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

“This is truly a dream job,” Tim McGraw adds. “Taylor has found a way of storytelling that brilliantly creates these epic dramas and family sagas with so much depth and creativity. The Duttons are tremendous characters and it’s so thrilling to be able to bring them to life. As a kid growing up riding horses, you think about dream jobs like this and I am just so excited to work with this amazing cast and crew.”

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” says Faith Hill. “The Duttons are a formidable family and it is an absolute dream to bring such a strong female character like Margaret Dutton to life. I am humbled and honored to work with Taylor and his entire team.”

Yellowstone was created in 2017 and tells the story of the powerful, complex family behind the largest contiguous ranch in the United States — along with the forces that seek its destruction. The hit show stars Kevin Costner and will return for a fourth season sometime at the end of 2021. There’s no word yet on when 1883 will make its premiere.