Yellowstone’s hit prequel series 1923 is headed for a major change in its upcoming second season.
The new series, which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, will swap its familiar Montana set for a new location in South Austin, Texas.
J.P. Gallagher, the chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow County, shared his reaction to the news with the Montana Standard. “The decision to film the Yellowstone series of 1923 in Texas is disappointing,” he began. “Nevertheless, we respect the production team’s decision and acknowledge that these choices are influenced by factors beyond our control. We were in talks with the production about 1923 coming back to Butte because of the positive experience they had here, but state tax incentive programs were a major factor for the production to move to Texas.”
The show’s move to Texas may come as a surprise to fans as Montana is an integral part of the show’s identity. For those who don’t know, the spin-off follows on from the first prequel series, 1883, which stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and looks at the Dutton family’s ancestry in the late 19th century as they made their way from Texas to Montana.
1923 focuses on a new generation of Duttons as they struggle to survive historic drought, lawlessness and prohibition, and an epidemic of cattle theft; all set against the backdrop of Montana’s Great Depression.
The show introduces “a new generation of the Dutton family and explores the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition, and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home,” according to the synopsis.
Brandon Sklenar as Spencer and Julia Schlaepfer as Alexandra
Harrison and Helen lead the cast as Jacob Dutton and his wife Cara, while Brandon Sklenar, Darren Mann, Michelle Randolph, James Badge Dale, Marley Shelton, and Aminah Nieves also star.
Details on season two have been kept under wraps so far, with any news on the plot, cast and release date yet to be announced. It’s not known if the show’s new filming location will impact the story and if it will be explained in the plot.
We do know, however, that Harrison and Helen will be reprising their roles. During an interview with Today last year, Harrison confirmed his return. “The idea of not working doesn’t make much sense to me. It’s really where I feel most alive,” he said.
Meanwhile, Helen told Deadline that the show’s renewal for season two was “very happy news as far as I was concerned”.
She continued: “I’m fascinated to see where Cara is going to go. Taylor did say she is very much of her era, she’s looking after the house. That is what her job is. But then he said, ‘Wait, things are going to happen.’ So we’ll see.”
