Billy Bob Thornton Returns To Television in Yellowstone Creator’s New Series
Billy Bob Thornton will star in Taylor Sheridan's new series, Land Man.
Billy Bob Thornton is coming back to TV. As reported by Variety, the actor will unite with stars Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, and Jacob Lofland for Land Man, the new series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. The series falls under Sheridan’s lucrative overall deal at Paramount.
Land Man stars Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, a crisis manager for an oil company. Randolph and Lofland will join Thornton as his children, with Larter portraying the oil man’s ex-wife.
Based on the podcast Boomtown, the series is poised to comment on the environmental, economic, and social ramifications of an oil boom in a small West Texas town. Billy Bob Thornton was cast in the role in early 2022, but few details about the series have emerged since.
Land Man will mark a reunion of Billy Bob Thornton and Taylor Sheridan. Thornton had a role in Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel 1883. His TV credits also notably include FX’s Fargo and guest appearances on HBO Max’s Harley Quinn and Fox’s American Dad!
Randolph, who worked with Sheridan on 1923, is set to play Ainsley Norris, the rambunctious teenage daughter of Tommy Norris. Lofland, best known for Mud and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, will star as Cooper Norris, Tommy’s son who struggles to acclimate to the harsh working conditions of the oil fields. Billy Bob Thornton will also be joined by Ali Larter, the star of NBC’s Heroes, as Angela.
In addition to Land Man, Billy Bob Thornton is set to appear alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in the Russo Brothers’ upcoming film The Electric State. Jacob Lofland will be seen next in 2024’s Joker: Folie a Deux, and Michelle Randolph will star in the college comedy The Throwback. Ali Larter is slated for the thriller The Man in the White Van and the horror film Spin the Bottle.
Land Man was rumored to begin production in 2023, but Billy Bob Thornton and his co-stars may have to wait longer than anticipated before they can get to work in the oil fields. The ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America is expected to continue for several weeks if not months.
The Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild are also considering strikes as the unions quest to resolve contract disputes with major studios. The work stoppage by writers has already put many scripted shows on their heels, and strikes by other unions in the entertainment industry could slow productions down even further.
Billy Bob Thornton and the rest of the Land Man cast are part of SAG, and a strike by actors would put the on-camera team on the sidelines. The absence of writer Taylor Sheridan may do that anyway. Paramount has not released an official timeline for Land Man, but any plans the studio had are likely now in flux as schedules shift to accommodate the strike.
Billy Bob Thornton is the latest leading man to head a Taylor Sheridan show. The prolific creator has attracted stars like Kevin Costner, Matthew McConaughey, Jeremy Renner, Sylvester Stallone, Tim McGraw, and Harrison Ford. The creator’s work has been foundational for Paramount’s TV division, and Sheridan will look to extend his streak of hits with Land Man.
