When the 2026 Emmy nominations were announced, plenty of surprises cropped up, from Widow’s Bay’s 19 nods to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms getting recognition, and even a post-cancellation nomination or two for certain shows. But maybe the biggest non-surprise for those paying attention was the complete lack of awareness for the various dramas created and/or produced by Taylor Sheridan. As it usually goes, the prolific creator’s various TV ventures were all but ignored.

Despite having one of the biggest streaming shows currently in production, with Landman’s numbers seemingly only beat by Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch, as well as a major ratings-grabber with CBS’ Marshals, Taylor Sheridan can’t seem to cross the gap from being popular with viewers to being exalted with awards nominations. It seemed like this could have been the year that reversed the trend, too, thanks to Michelle Pfeiffer’s work on The Madison and both Sam Elliott and Billy Bob Thornton’s runs in Landman Season 2, among others.

Unfortunately, despite a reportedly lofty For Your Consideration push meant to sway more voters into praising Sheridan & Co.’s efforts, the vast majority of his creations were not namechecked by nominee announcers Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller. In fact, only one of the mega-producer’s series earned a nom, and not for acting, directing or writing.

• Outstanding Stunt Coordination For Comedy Programming - Freddie Poole, Stunt Coordinator (Tulsa King)

A big congrats to Freddie Poole for his third nomination for his Tulsa King work, following previous nods in 2025 and 2023. He didn't win with either of those, but this could be his year.

Granted, it's not like Taylor Sheridan was previously an Emmys king due toYellowstone's success. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the Kevin Costner-led western was only granted a SINGLE nomination during its five-season run, and it was for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour Or More).

Taylor Sheridan Prophetically Addressed His Emmys Perma-Snubbing A Week Prior To The Latest Noms

Rarely one to deliver extended mainstream media interviews, Taylor Sheridan stopped by The Bill Simmons Podcast to chat up its hugely popular host about the ups and downs of his career journey. And in the midst of that conversation, he summed up his creative process by saying he creates what he wants to see on TV, and that those who partner with him on his "common people" projects are not going to need to install extra wall shelves for Emmy awards. In his words:

To be sure, a lot of shows that DO get Emmy nominations and wins pull off the same things that Sheridan mentions above. Just not in the same ways, and usually without the innate disdain for award shows happening behind the scenes.

Dutton Ranch wrapped up its first season run during the 2026 TV schedule, but assumedly missed the deadline required for that spinoff to be eligible for nominations. Even knowing how much the TV Academy ignores these shows, I still think both Ed Harris and Annette Bening have marginal shots at getting recognized, and I'll be bummed out to learn I'm wrong next year at this time.

Lots of amazing and critically lauded shows go their full runs without winning any Emmys, from The Wire to Better Call Saul to The Good Place. But those examples and many more at least got some Emmy nominations to help ease the pain. Maybe shifting his creative headquarters to NBCUniversal will be the trick that finally gets Taylor Sheridan some Emmy love. Unless it isn't.

Landman may officially be done with its second season on the 2026 TV schedule, but a third season is already on the way, so there will be much more to look forward to. This will more than likely include copious memorable one-liners from Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy Norris and a lot of cigarettes, too. Now, Ali Larter, who plays Tommy's ex-wife Angela, is spilling the tea on what it’s truly like making out with him after he’s been “ripping American Spirits.”

As Ali Larter was discussing her role on Landman during the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, she explained that she'll have gum and water on set because her mouth gets dry. In response, host Amanda Hirsch wondered what happens when Thornton smokes, and then the actress has to make out with him. She asked if Larter asks him to take a mint when that happens. In response, the actress explained what really happens:

Considering Landman has filmed a full two seasons, I can understand Larter’s reasoning when it comes to making out with Thornton after he was smoking, especially since it wouldn’t really be any different for their characters. It does sound like Thornton takes a mint every once in a while, but most of the time, the actress just leans into their roles as Tommy and Angela:

Ali Larter has been in the business for quite a long time, so it probably isn’t anything she’s not used to. And if she truly didn’t want to make out with Billy Bob Thornton after he smoked, she probably would have made it known. Plus, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s just used to it by now, and she doesn’t seem to mind so much. At the very least, she’s able to say that she’s made out with Thornton.

Meanwhile, there have been rumors that Thornton is leaving Landman ahead of Season 3, but he did not hold back when addressing that speculation. Earlier this month, he said he’ll “be there” in regards to Season 3, so fans will be seeing plenty more of Tommy Norris. Filming is expected to kick off this spring, meaning that it might not be long until he makes his grand return.

It can be assumed that Thornton won’t be changing his ways for Season 3, but perhaps that’s for the better since it seems to really get Larter into character. If anything, she’s used to it.

Now, while we wait to see them back on our screens in the third season of Landman, fans can watch the first two seasons now with a Paramount+ subscription.

Landman’s worrisome (and hopeful) finale officially concluded Season 2's run on the 2026 TV schedule, and a lot that happened over the course of that and the previous nine episodes. That includes series star Billy Bob Thornton seemingly baring it all, making some viewers go wild, with others less enthused. However, the creator is spilling the tea, and it’s not as full-frontal as you’d think.

The December 28 episode of the Taylor Sheridan series kicked off with Thornton’s Tommy passed out in bed while receiving room service. When he woke up, it was revealed that all he was wearing was a t-shirt, accidentally flashing the scared waitress, before Angela (Ali Larter) swooped in to save the day and the embarrassment. It was an unexpected moment and interesting way to start the episode, seeing Thornton bedsheet tent and then some, but co-creator Christian Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter that it wasn’t a true full-frontal scene:

I can imagine that filming those kinds of scenes can be an intimidating experience, whether as an actor or a crew member. So props to all involved for still bringing an intimacy coordinator in despite the briefness of the scene, as well as the inauthentic genitals on display. An averaged-sized prosthetic penis can be just as troublesome as anything else, but it sounds like everyone handled it accordingly on the day.

Wallace sang the praises of the props department for being able to fool viewers, and he recalled a hilarious way that Thornton would refer to the prop. In his words:

Regardless of the realism, fans had some thoughts, and they were pretty mixed on the whole situation. While the consensus feels that it wasn’t necessary to include it, others found it to be pretty hilarious. After the episode dropped with a Paramount+ subscription, they took to social media to share their takes on the episode, and there are a lot of opinions:

• Never look at an omelette the same again #landman -@bluebellsrblu
• “Don’t you fk my omelet” was not on my bingo card…fking Landman -@cool_geek_15
• First opening scene of new episode of #landman was priceless. Too funny. -@imthewindowsguy
• Why is Billy Bob Thornton pitching a tent on my tv screen? #Landman -@aintgottolie

While fans have mostly loved seeing Billy Bob Thornton on Landman, people have been worried that this is the end of Tommy. There have been rumors floating around that he’s leaving the series ahead of Season 3, but Thornton has come out himself to say that he’ll “be there.” So it can be expected there is going to be a lot more Tommy to come in Landman, but viewers may have to wait and see whether there is going to be more full-frontal, whether by accident or on purpose.

When it comes to a show like Landman, you never know what to expect or how an episode will kick off. That being said, even if people didn’t like the faux full-frontal scene, it certainly got their attention, so perhaps that was the goal anyway. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were more of that on the way in Season 3, but fans will just have to be patient in the meantime.

Brief spoilers for Landman Season 2 lie ahead.

The second season of Landman just finished its run amid the 2026 TV schedule, and fans are shook. Following that installment, questions remain, and some are worried about what lies ahead for the characters during Season 3. At the same time, there’s also been a bit of commotion regarding one main cast member’s status with the series. It’s been alleged that series lead Billy Bob Thornton would be exiting the series ahead of the third season. Now, Thornton’s shooting down those assumptions and not mincing words in the process.

Billy Bob Thornton has rarely ever been one to hold back when sharing his thoughts on a particular subject. With that, it should come as no surprise that when he learned about the rumors that he wouldn’t continue playing oil bigwig Tommy Norris on the Taylor Sheridan-produced Landman, he had a blistering take. Thornton, whose series received an early renewal, shared his views with USA Today and attributed the rumors to “AI-generated crap.” He also added the following thought:

Artificial intelligence has been a major topic of discussion within Hollywood – and the world at large – as of late. Recently, actors, directors, writers and other creatives have been trying to reckon with the changes that AI could impose. Stars like Thornton and co-star Demi Moore (who plays Cami Miller) also occasionally find themselves dealing with deepfakes and other digital recreations. All that aside, though, it seems that when it comes to Thornton’s future on his show, he wants it clear that he’s not leaving before Season 3:

Per USA Today, filming on the third season of Landman is expected to take place this coming spring. An official release window for those new episodes has yet to be announced by Paramount, as of this writing. It’s worth mentioning, however, that the previous two seasons both debuted in November 2024 and November 2025, respectively. Those facts may or may not be an indicator that Season 3 could arrive at a similar time this year.

The second season of Landman has been quite eventful, especially in regard to Tommy’s arc. During the penultimate episode of the season, Norris was thrown for a loop when M-Tex owner Cami fired him from his position as president due to his seeming unwillingness to take risks. Tommy’s personal life has also been on display, and much of that has come through due to the presence of his father, Thomas “T.L.” Norris, who’s played by series newcomer Sam Elliot. Thornton and Elliot have great chemistry, making their on-screen relationship believable.

It’s hard to say when we can expect more concrete information on the third season of the Billy Bob Thorton-led series, especially considering that Season 2 only just ended. Still, at the very least, fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Thornton will indeed be present when the cameras start rolling again. Here’s hoping that, within the world of the show, better days lie ahead for Tommy Norris.

Stream the first two seasons of Landman now using a Paramount+ subscription. Also, anyone in need of new Taylor Sheridan shows can check out Yellowstone spinoff Marshals, which premieres on CBS on March 1. The Madison, another offshoot, will also debut on the aforementioned streamer on March 14.

Spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Landman are ahead! Read with caution, and stream the show with a Paramount+ subscription.

The sun has set on Landman Season 2, and in a lot of ways, it was an ending to celebrate. Tommy told his team about their new oil company, and while he didn’t tell them everything about how he got it, I’d say it was an overall positive. However, while they were all happy about that, Billy Bob Thornton’s character had a line in this final episode to air on the 2026 TV schedule that really scared me.

The Line In Landman’s Season 2 Finale That Scared Me

In the penultimate scene of the season, Tommy tells Cooper, Nate, Rebecca, Dale, TL, Boss, Ariana and some crew members about CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle. It’s a celebratory moment, as they all learn about the deal Tommy made with Andy Garcia’s character, Galliano (though he didn’t specify that that’s who he made said deal with during this meeting).

Afterward, Tommy meets up with Angela, and they share a loving moment. However, during it, Billy Bob Thornton’s character also said:

He goes on to say that maybe this will be in regard to himself, noting that he could get cancer or lose his memory. Tommy also says that Angela could go too in a “car wreck or whatever.”

He then ends his little monologue by stating that today is not the day that happens. And that’s all fine and dandy. However, Season 3 of Landman is coming, and between this line and the wolf Tommy sees in the final seconds of the episode, I feel like it’s not unreasonable to be scared that “tragedy” could “dominate” what we see next.

The Theories I’ve Developed That Make This Line So Scary

Amid all this celebration, they just had to throw this ominous undertone of death in, and now I’m scared. Obviously, not everything was tied up with a nice bow at the end of Season 2, and Tommy still has a lot to deal with, but all in all, they were in a good place.

However, he knows things can’t stay that way, and he’s aware that something bad is coming. Personally, I think that means death is around the corner, and I have a few guesses about who.

Taking Tommy as literally as possible, he implied that it could be him who goes. That’s maybe true, I mean, Galliano did say something bad would happen if this deal goes south. Plus, working in oil is dangerous. Or, who knows, maybe he’ll come down with a health issue, as he explained in the episode. It’s all possible, however, I think something more unexpected is more likely.

Maybe that means it’ll be Angela or Ainsley. That’d certainly be tragic if one of them died unexpectedly, and it’d no doubt “dominate” Tommy and his family’s days.

The same is true for T.L. Sam Elliott’s character just got back to his family. To see him die would be a tragedy. However, he’s old, and, again, anything can happen.

Overall, this line terrifies me because it makes me think about all the bad things that could happen to the Norris family. They’ve already been through a lot, and dealing with more tragedy would be so tough. However, that’s also what makes great TV.

So, to see what comes of this scary line Tommy said, make sure you keep watching Landman when it returns for Season 3.

James Jordan is no stranger to Taylor Sheridan shows or his A-list casts. However, Landman hits different. The actor, who plays Dale Bradley on the Paramount+ series, made that clear too as he explained how he reacted when he got to work with Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott. However, while his feelings about all this are A+, it’s Elliott’s response to said reaction that makes it even better.

For reference, Jordan has worked on a handful of Sheridan shows, including Mayor of Kingstown, 1883, Yellowstone and Lioness alongside Landman. So, that means he’s collaborated with actors like Jeremy Renner, Kevin Costner, Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña. Those are some major names. However, sharing a scene with both Thornton and Elliott in the season of Landman that’s airing on the 2025 TV schedule packed the biggest punch, as he explained in a video for Paramount+:

Sam Elliott joining the Landman cast was a very big deal. Even Billy Bob Thornton was emotional when he found out that the 1883 star would be playing his father. The TL actor just has an essence about him and the filmography to back it up that brings out this reaction, I’m learning. And I love it!

What makes it even better is that Sam Elliott had the best response to James Jordan’s confession about working with him and the Tommy actor. Recalling how the Tombstone star replied to his excitement, the Dale actor said:

Well, that’s incredibly sweet, and it makes me adore this cast even more. However, Jordan’s story didn’t end there. After recalling how Elliott responded to his being a fanboy about collaborating with the two actors, he explained what it was like to act alongside them, noting:

Overall, this story goes along with other things the cast has said about acting alongside Elliott and Thornton. When I interviewed both men and Jacob Lofland, who plays Cooper, they spoke about working together, with Lofland specifically telling me that it was a “magical time” and he felt “privileged” to perform alongside “those legends.”

So, this feeling that James Jordan had seems to be mutual, and it makes me excited to keep watching Landman. Meanwhile, to find out what happens with the characters these men play, Season 2 will continue airing every Sunday for those with a Paramount+ subscription through the first part of the 2026 TV schedule. Then, it will return for a Season 3 (which means these guys, who clearly love each other, will probably get to keep working together).

Though the Landman story below does focus on a phone conversation between Tommy and his father T.L. in “The Pirate Dinner”, there are no actual plot spoilers discussed, so it’s safe to keep reading even if you haven’t yet streamed the ep via Paramount+ subscription.

Taylor Sheridan is the kind of TV creator who sets his various characters up as mouthpieces for a litany of his own viewpoints. He’s hardly alone in that respect, but he is one of relatively few creatives who maintains a sole writing credit across multiple series, so there’s little doubt where the opinionated comments come from. Pop culture usually doesn’t inspire such discussions amongst the blue-collar characters, but Landman’s latest episode surprisingly lobbed a shot at Whoopi Goldberg and the women of The View, and I can't wait for their responses.

In the middle of Season 2’s fifth installment, “The Pirate Dinner,” Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy is in the midst of a hectic day and a long drive when Sam Elliott’s T.L. calls him up to complain about being bored, not to mention being locked outside of the house. (It’s hard to tell where T.L.’s arc is going, and this scene didn’t exactly lay out a wealth of potential futures, beyond possibly doing voiceover work for Tommy’s neighbor.)

Tommy’s advice points to The View as a source of semi-ironic daytime amusement, but T.L. somehow has no knowledge of a series that’s been on the air in a near-daily capacity since 1997. Here’s how their convo went down:

• TOMMY: Watch one of them daytime talk shows, you know, like The View or something.
• T.L.: What's The View?
• TOMMY: A bunch of pissed-off millionaires bitching about how much they hate millionaires and Trump and men and you and me and everybody else they got a bee up their ass about. It’s pretty funny.
• T.L.: Don’t sound funny.
• TOMMY: Well, it ain’t ‘joke’ funny, it’s like ‘fart in church’ funny, you know what I mean?
• T.L.: That don’t sound funny, either.
• TOMMY: Well, it depends on your proximity to the fart.

Strangely not the most insulting barb that Taylor Sheridan is capable of, and it's nowhere near as pointedly blunt as so many other comments made by Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy. Don't get me wrong, it's an obvious knock against the that T.L. has remained blind to the show's Hot Topics for nearly three decades, and it's not like Tommy is saying The View is worth watching for its genius insights and personalities. He's more or less calling it a wreck that one can't help but stare at. So not complimentary in the slightest.

As a viewer, it’s both interesting and amusing to see Tommy’s casual criticism of The View’s female hosts falling back into the same repeated behavior patterns and topics, since it’s in a show that has itself been criticized by critics and fans themselves about how its female characters are depicted, from Angela to Ainsley to Rebecca and beyond.

Even if Taylor Sheridan himself absolutely adores The View, I'd have still expected him to write Tommy as if he thought the talk show was a waste of time. Especially since Tommy doesn't seem to ever want to get into any political arguments with anyone, you'd think he'd tire of the show's subject matter immediately. But just as there are plenty of different ways to fart in church, The View doesn't always fall back on the same old Washington D.C. talking points.

Given the mildly genial shot taken by Billy Bob Thornton's character, I'm interested to see, first, whether or not any of the women are aware of what Landman is. (Just kidding: Thornton appeared on the show in 2024 to promote the streaming western's first season.) More sincerely, I can't wait to see whether Whoopi & Co. choose to take offense and strike back out, or if all involved will view it as the light-hearted insult it came across as.

That said, CBS News' newest boss Bari Weiss has supposedly held a grudge against The View's team after she was passed over to fill a vacated spot at the table years ago, and she's rumored to be starting up a direct daytime competitor for CBS's daytime fare. Given when Landman filmed its Season 2 episodes, however, it doesn't appear as if Tommy's comments were directly sparked by Paramount's post-merger leadership regime.

Check out the trailer for Episode 6 below!

Will Landman next call out other daytime staples like the recently concluded The Kitchen, or The Price Is Right? Find out as the rest of Season 2 plays out every Sunday on Paramount+, and take comfort in Season 3 already being confirmed, with production hopefully starting earlier enough for episodes to still debut during the 2026 TV schedule.

I don’t know about you, but I was not surprised to learn that Landman got an early renewal for Season 3. We’re only a few episodes into its run on the 2025 TV schedule, and just like Season 1, it’s proven to be a massive hit for Paramount+. So, it makes sense that the story will continue. It turns out, the cast and creatives have been thinking about this continuation too, as they opened up about how long this Taylor Sheridan show could go on.

When Landman premiered its second season, it quickly became the biggest season or series premiere in Paramount+’s history, per THR. Across the first few days, it tripled the number of viewers Season 1's premiere got, and it brought in 9.2 million views worldwide. So, I can see why the team behind this show is already thinking about what’s next. In fact, according to showrunner Christian Wallace, they're just getting started:

While we’re only three episodes into Season 2 (Episode 4 will be available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription on Sunday), it’s clear that this is only at the beginning.

Andy Garcia’s character just showed up in a big way, Demi Moore’s Cami has a story that’s expanding far beyond what she did in Season 1, and it’s obvious that the problems M-Tex and Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy are facing are far more complex than they seem. To that point, Wallace explained that the world oil is “rich” and between that and the cast of characters they’ve created, it’s easy to keep expanding:

I totally believe him. I’m also sure that they have ideas for other A-listers to bring into this corner of the Sheridan-verse. In fact, Wallace told CinemaBlend that he’d love to see 1883’s Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the show, and I know I’d love to see that happen! And now, they have the opportunity to do just that.

Now, going back to the show's plot, Michelle Randolph, who plays Ainsley Norris, made it clear that by the end of this season’s run, there will be more of it to tell. In fact, there’s so much story to tell, she doesn’t think they’ll run out of it. She said:

So, it seems like both Randolph and Wallace are convinced the show can go on for a very long time, and Billy Bob Thornton seems to believe that too. He told the outlet that he’ll keep playing Tommy “as long as I’m able,” and in terms of when Landman could conclude, he said they’ll “know when it’s over.”

While obviously anything can happen to a show, and Landman is not immune to cancellation, its roaring success makes me think that it will get to go on well beyond Season 3. And clearly, the team behind the show is ready for that to happen, because there’s a lot of story to tell and they want to tell it.

Overall, the future is bright for this show, and the present is too, because you can watch new episodes of Landman’s second season every Sunday on Paramount+.

Spoilers for Landman Season 2, Episode 3 are ahead! Read with caution, and watch the show with a Paramount+ subscription.

Business is bad on Landman. Following Monty’s death, Demi Moore’s Cami is new position of power, and she and Tommy are learning that M-TEX was not in as good a place as they’d thought. On top of that, Cooper got covered in oil and broke big; however, that success came with a sketchy business deal with Andy Garcia’s Galliano. Now, in Episode 3, the Ocean’s Eleven actor has appeared in person for the first time in Season 2, and I’m thinking about one thing he called Tommy on regarding this mess that could impact everything going forward.

So, it’s revealed earlier in the season that’s airing on the 2025 TV schedule that a company called Sonrisa is funding Cooper’s oil venture. And after some digging, it’s revealed that Galliano is the man behind the money. That is very bad news, objectively, or as Tommy tells Cooper, it’s “a real fucking problem.”

To solve this problem, Tommy goes to meet with Galliano, or Danny Morrell, as he introduces himself in this episode. They bicker back and forth about the deal Cooper made, and Tommy makes it clear that he is very opposed to this situation his son has found himself in. However, Danny sees what Cooper did differently, and even calls Billy Bob Thornton’s character out for not supporting his son more, saying:

Through this conversation, it became clear to me that Galliano, or Danny now, I guess, sees a potential in Cooper that Tommy either can’t see or refuses to acknowledge. While Tommy is rightfully uneasy about this deal and thinks Garcia’s character has set him up to fail, I do think the businessman made a valid point.

Obviously, the deal Cooper made was bad. However, the fact that he’s hit so many times and got rich so fast proves that he’s on to something. I think Tommy needs to accept that fact, and clearly, he’s not.

This kind of apprehension feels like it could cause a rift between the father and son that could be catastrophic and impact the rest of the season. Meanwhile, if Tommy did figure out how to make good out of what Cooper’s done and see his son's potential, it feels like his discovery could help M-TEX (which it needs).

All around, things aren’t looking good for Tommy and the business. As Cami said, M-TEX doesn’t have the kind of money they thought they had. As the rest of the episode proves, they’re also in dire straits to figure out how to solve the issue regarding this lack of money. Then, when Danny says he can help her, it seems to put him right in the middle of all the problems surrounding Tommy and the oil.

So, now it feels like Cooper’s business and the work going on a M-TEX are on a collision course. To make sure it doesn’t explode in everyone’s faces, I think Tommy needs to accept what his son is doing and acknowledge how much potential he has.

If he does that, it could change the course of the business, and if he doesn’t, it could be catastrophic. So, yeah, Andy Garcia calling Tommy out for how he thinks of his son did hit hard, and I do think this situation could impact the course of the show.

To see what happens on this front, you can watch new episodes of Landman every Sunday on Paramount+ (which has a pretty killer Black Friday deal going on right now).

Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 2 of Landman are ahead! Read with caution, and watch the show with a Paramount+ subscription.

After the audience met Sam Elliott’s TL in the Season 2 premiere of Landman, he was reunited with his son, Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy, and his grandson, Jacob Lofland’s Cooper, in Episode 2. It happened during a very moving scene, too, and the story behind filming it, which Thornton told me, makes it even more emotional.

When I watched the second episode of Landman that aired on the 2025 TV schedule, I knew I had to ask Thornton, Elliott and Lofland about filming it. It was a very emotional reunion for the father-son duo, as TL waxed poetic about the tragic reason why sunsets are so beautiful while sitting in a wheelchair. The Sling Blade actor told me that this scene felt really real as they were filming it, too, which almost made him forget that they were making a TV show. He explained during an interview for CinemaBlend:

Being in the moment with Sam Elliott has to be so special, and it’s clear that it was to Billy Bob Thornton. He explained to me that when they filmed this scene, both he and Lofland “listened” to what the TL actor was saying, and everyone had “a lot of room to breathe” as they created this candid moment.

He then told me that the culmination of all that “made it so heavy” for them. It gets even heavier, though, as the actor recalled how he reacted to seeing his on-screen dad in costume and in his wheelchair for the first time:

As a fan of Sam Elliott, I’m used to seeing him play epic and strong men, like Shae in 1883. However, in Landman, TL is down on his luck, he’s in a home, he’s just lost his wife, and he says that all he’s got left is “wondering.” In short, he’s miserable, and seeing Tommy and Cooper realize that is devastating.

Overall, it’s a moving scene that brings three generations of the Norris family together, and it brutally introduces us to how the oil industry has impacted all of them. As TL says, a sunset is beautiful because of what makes living in Texas so unbearable, which is the lack of water and dust, and that parallels the fact that while oil has given this family a lot, it’s also ruined them in a lot of ways.

I found this scene to be a sucker punch to the gut as we were brutally introduced to more of the family and their history. It was also emotional and incredible to watch because it featured so many legends. When I asked Jacob Lofland, who plays Cooper, about filming this sequence with Elliott and Thornton, he highlighted that point too, explaining:

There have been many A-listers in Taylor Sheridan’s shows, but pairing Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott together has been exciting on a new level. This scene confirmed why they’re a great duo, and it made me very excited to see how Tommy, TL and Cooper’s relationships evolve as Season 2 goes on and they all grapple with the death of TL’s wife.

So, to see what happens next between these characters, you can watch new episodes of Landman every Sunday on Paramount+.

The second Sam Elliott was cast in Landman, I was elated. The actor, who had previously starred in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel 1883, is such a legend, and I was hoping he’d be in another Paramount+ show from the super producer. So, considering that and as Season 2 of Landman gets going on the 2025 TV schedule, I decided to ask the drama’s co-creator which actors from the Sheridan-verse he’d like to cast next. He responded with an idea that needs to become a reality.

Landman, like all of Sheridan’s shows, features an A-list cast that is led by Billy Bob Thornton. He’s supported by Demi Moore (who has a bigger role in Season 2), Ali Larter, Andy Garcia and many more. However, the ensemble also features Sheridan-verse vets, like 1883’s Sam Elliott and Michelle Randolph, who was in 1923. So, when I spoke with the project’s co-creator, Christian Wallace, I asked about who from another one of Sheridan’s shows would be a good addition to his ensemble. In response, he said:

Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes! This needs to happen. The connections are just too good to pass up. As Wallace noted, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are remarkable in 1883 as James and Margaret Dutton (which you can stream with a Paramount+ subscription), and they led that show with Sam Elliott, who played Shea Brennan. So, that reunion would be great. On top of that, it’d be even better because Billy Bob Thornton also had a small cameo in the Yellowstone prequel, so the Dutton actors doing the same thing in Landman would be very full circle.

Plus, with 1883 not getting a second season, this would serve as a great way to get the cast back together in a new (and modern) way.

However, it wouldn’t just be an 1883 reunion on Landman. It’d also be a Friday Night Lights reunion, as Wallace pointed out. In the 2004 movie, Billy Bob Thornton played Coach Gary Gaines, while McGraw portrayed Charles Billingsley. So, to get them back together, and to do it in Texas, no less, would be pretty amazing.

Along with this idea being a wonderful opportunity for a reunion, it’s also simply a fantastic proposal without the connections. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are great actors – as proven by 1883 – and I’d love to see them back on my screen. They fit perfectly into that Western, and I think they’d also be a great match for Landman.

While I have no idea who they’d realistically play, I could picture them playing a couple who have a history with the Norris family, and it’d be fun to watch them butt heads. Along with work on-screen, it’d also be pretty cool if Tim McGraw and Faith Hill made music for the show too, considering it’s set in the modern day and they’re both renowned country singers.

All around, this feels like a perfect idea, and I really hope it happens someday. However, for now, you can watch the newest episodes of Landman, which already features a stacked cast, every Sunday on Paramount+.

Celebrity couples have a way of captivating the public's attention, just look at how many headlines have come from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce or Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. There's something about pairs A-listers that fascinate fans, especially the ways they show affection for each other. Angelina Jolie's personal life has countless headlines over the years, including her famous relationship with Billy Bob Thornton. And the latter actor recently shared the real story behind that infamous blood vial necklace that turned so many heads back in the day.

While Angelina Jolie's divorce from Brad Pitt lasted years, that's far from the only high profile relationship she's had as a celebrity. She and Thornton turned heads when they got together in the early aughts, and in an interview with Rolling Stone the Love, Actually actor got real about that blood necklace that became synonymous with their relationship. When the subject of those blood vials came up, he said:

There you have it. Per Thornton's comments, the blood thing ended up being blown way out of proportion. They apparently use just one drop of blood each, rather than a full vial of their genetic material. Per his recollection, the media and fans simply got carried away and it became a much bigger deal than it really was. Hey, nobody said being famous was easy.

Despite BBT's recollection, the blood thing continues to be synonymous with the relationship he had with Jolie. So much so that when Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly followed suit with a blood necklace they were dubbed the new Billy Bob and Angelina. Although that former couple took things a step further as Fox and MGK admitted to drinking each other's blood.

Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie tied the knot back in 2000, although the marriage would only las a handful of years. Still, that didn't stop them from making headlines, turning heads, and remaining iconic all these years later. And despite their split (and those blood stories), the former couple is reportedly still close two decades later. This stands in stark juxtaposition to the long and brutal divorce process that happened after she and Brad Pitt were involved in, dating back to 2016.

Both Jolie and Thornton continue to have thriving professional lives. The latter recently celebrated the release of Landman Season 2, which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription as part of the 2025 TV schedule.

Minor spoilers for the first episode of Landman Season 2 are ahead. You can stream it now with a Paramount+ subscription and then catch new episodes every Sunday after that.

Season 2 of Landman started with the death of Tommy’s mom, and it seems like it’s bound to bring Billy Bob Thornton’s character back together with his father, TL, who is played by Sam Elliott. Now, we already knew Thornton was very excited to have Elliott in Season 2. However, I wanted to know how he reacted when he found out the 1883 actor would be playing his father, so I asked him.

When I posed the question to Thornton, who was sitting right next to Elliott, he didn’t hesitate to say that the casting was “perfect.” Then, he dove into how he reacted when he got the call that the A-lister was joining another Taylor Sheridan show, explaining:

Before saying this, Thornton had told me that he didn’t know at all that Elliott was going to play his father. In fact, he didn’t even know the character would be part of the story at first. However, when he found out about it and who would be taking on the role of TL, he couldn’t help but get emotional.

While he calls it “embarrassing,” I think it’s incredibly sweet and important. The two were both in one of the great Westerns, Tombstone, and Thornton had a small cameo in 1883, which Elliott played a major role in. However, Landman will give them a chance to play father and son and get close on screen in a way we haven’t seen before.

At this point in Landman’s run on the 2025 TV schedule, Tommy and TL have not interacted. However, Season 2’s premiere revealed that Tommy’s mom and TL’s wife had died. So, it stands to reason that the loss will bring the two back together. I, for one, cannot wait to see how they interact and how TL fits into the Norris family. I am also so excited to watch this great cast interact with the legend, Sam Elliott.

Clearly, it meant a lot to the Friday Night Lights actor that the A Star is Born actor had joined their cast as Tommy’s dad. Now, I’m looking forward to seeing how their dynamic evolves on screen, as their characters reunite in the wake of a major loss. Clearly, the two actors mean a lot to each other in real life, so it will be exciting to see how that translates on Landman.

Now, to watch Landman and see how this relationship between father and son develops, you can catch new episodes of the show every Sunday on Paramount+.

The list of famous actors Taylor Sheridan has hired for his shows is long and illustrious, and it includes Demi Moore. However, in Season 1 of Landman, her character, Cami, was barely seen. That’s all about to change, though, because as Season 2 of the oil drama hits the 2025 TV schedule, The Substance star spoke to me about how her character won’t be a “Where’s Wlado” in the upcoming episodes.

After Cami was underused in Landman’s first season, fans made it clear that they wanted more of Demi Moore in this Billy Bob Thornton-led drama. Well, it turns out that was always part of the plan. During an interview for CinemaBlend, I asked the actress what she was told about her character’s arc during her first meeting with Taylor Sheridan. In response, she explained that she knew Cami wouldn’t be in much of Season 1 but would make a splash in Season 2. She told me:

I figured this would be the case. I had assumed they wouldn’t have hired Demi Moore to play Cami if there wasn’t a bigger story planned for her. However, seeing very little of her in Season 1 as she was earning a lot of praise for her Oscar-nominated role in The Substance emphasized the question about why Cami wasn’t a bigger player in Landman, considering the stature of the actress playing her.

It sounds like the plan for her character will really kick into high gear, though, during Season 2. Following the death of Jon Hamm’s character, Monty, Cami is set to play a bigger role in M*Tex, and I’m excited to see her interact more with Tommy Norris, Billy Bob Thornton’s character. Moore told me that her character will be doing that too, as she continued to recall that first conversation she had with Landman’s co-creator:

In Season 2, we’ll get to see Tommy and Cami pick up the pieces that were left after Monty’s death. As the trailers show us, the fallout will be rough as they fight for the “success” Moore’s character is after. It also feels like there’s trouble brewing between Cami and Tommy, as they are clearly working to figure out who has the most power in this situation.

So, yeah, I’d say Demi Moore has a much larger role to play in Season 2 of Landman, and I’m very excited that she won’t be like a “Where’s Waldo” this season. Based on these comments and what we’ve seen so far, it seems like she’ll be front and center, which I’m sure will make fans happy.

Now, to see how Cami plays into Landman’s newest episodes, you can catch Season 2’s premiere with a Paramount+ subscription on November 16. After that, episodes will drop weekly on Sundays.

November is in full swing. And while that means the spooky season is truly over for another year, likely disappointing many, we’re shifting right into the winter holiday season. This week will see some of the first new Christmas movies coming to streaming, as well as other family content, including the return of one of the most important kids shows ever made.

Sesame Street - November 10 (Netflix)

Since 1969, no television show may have been quite as important to America’s youth as Sesame Street. The educational show has taught kids letters, numbers, and so much more for decades. A great deal has changed about the show over the years, but its importance has never wavered. Following a few years on HBO Max, you’ll now need a Netflix subscription to catch the newest season.

Playdate - November 12 (Prime Video)

If you’ve got a Prime Video subscription, it’s a safe bet you’re a fan of Reacher. If you’re a fan of Reacher, it’s a safe bet you’re waiting for the upcoming fourth season, and for the spinoff Neagley. While those are still a ways off, there will be a potential stopgap in Playdate. This action comedy pairs Reacher star Alan Ritchson with Kevin James for a film that certainly won’t be as serious as what fans are used to, but looks to still have plenty of action.

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie - November 14 (Disney+)

The Jonas Brothers were essentially born at Disney, and much like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez before them, it’s time for these Disney Kids to come home. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is the first holiday movie to drop for your Disney+ subscription, and it sees the three musical brothers perform a concert in England and then try to make it home in time for Christmas, a task that will not be as easy as they thought.

In Your Dreams - November 14 (Netflix)

Over the last several years, Netflix has made itself a force in animation thanks to amazing projects like Wallace and Gromit, Ultraman: Rising, and, of course, the recent smash hit Kpop Demon Hunters. If there’s a Netflix project that may be in line for an upcoming Academy Award nomination, however, it may be In Your Dreams. The film sees two kids and their dream playmate travel through the dream world in an attempt to save their family.

Eddington - November 14 (HBO Max)

A new movie by Ari Aster is always a film worth checking out. While not all of them are a hit with all audiences, they always give you something to talk about. Eddington, available with your HBO Max subscription, takes on two hot-button issues, politics and the global pandemic, and throws them together. Needless to say, the drama and the stress will likely be at an all-time high.

Landman, Season 2 - November 16 (Paramount+)

Taylor Sheridan can seemingly do no wrong on television, making him one of the most in-demand creators working in entertainment today. Landman with Billy Bob Thornton is one of his latest hits. Fans will need a Paramount+ subscription to watch the second season unfold.

With everything from Dracula to the Fantastic Four: First Steps already streaming this month, and everything from the final season of Stranger Things to The Beatles Anthology yet to come. It’s already going to be a great month on all your favorite streaming platforms.

Landman Season 2 is well on its way to its premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, and we officially know we’ll be getting way more of Demi Moore (thank goodness). However, her character Cami and Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy won’t be the only pairings we can look forward to. Oh, no, the cast confirmed a few other duos coming in the new episodes that I’m even more excited about.

It’s been confirmed that following the death of Jon Hamm’s Monty, his wife, Cami, will have to work with Tommy to run M*Tex. That means, we’ll get to see Moore and Thornton work together and probably verbally spar on screen after fans spent all of Season 1 wondering why the Oscar nominee was barely used. However, that won’t be the only exciting pairing for Moore this season.

While chatting about the “interesting” dynamic between these two polar opposites, Moore and Thornton also opened up about other characters they’ll interact with. I was specifically intrigued by The Substance star’s comments about what’s coming between her and Ali Larter’s characters, as she told EW:

The Cami actress explained that, along with learning the ropes of the oil business, she will also be grieving the death of her husband. That’s where Ali Larter’s Angela comes in. EW reported that Tommy’s wife will help Moore’s character through her grief, and considering she’s one of the lighter characters on the show, I imagine her scenes with the Ghost actress will provide some much-needed levity for Cami.

Meanwhile, Larter will get to dip her toe into the more serious and potentially violent side of Landman. This story confirmed that she will be interacting with more than the Norris family this year and getting in on the action, a bit.

We now know she’ll share scenes with Andy Garcia’s cartel leader, who was introduced in Landman’s Season 1 finale, and it sounds like it’ll be a wild intersection of life and work, as the Final Destination actress explained:

I cannot wait for all these pairings this season, and after seeing the trailer for Season 2, I’m even more excited. It gave us our first look at Sam Elliott’s Landman character, highlighted just how much Moore will be featured this season, and provided insight into the primary conflicts. Take a look:

Talor Sheridan’s A-list casts are all impressive, but Landman’s hits different, and I cannot wait to see them all interact this season!

So, make sure your Paramount+ subscription is ready and you have your dream pairings figured out, because Landman will return for Season 2 on November 16.

We are one massive step closer to watching Landman Season 2 with a Paramount+ subscription, because production has officially wrapped. So, Ali Larter is celebrating. The actress, who plays Angela Norris on the series, shared her celebration during sunset with us all, too.

Ali Larter has always been very loud and proud about her love for Landman. Her Instagram is full of BTS and still images from the series, and her latest post might be my favorite so far. Uploading two images seemingly taken at sunset, the actress wrote about her gratitude for this Taylor Sheridan series and how proud she is of this upcoming season. Take a look:

Alright, let’s break this down. First of all, I adore how she used her caption to praise the cast and crew. As she stated, their “time, effort, love, laughter and dedication” is what makes Landman “so special.”

Next, let’s take a moment to appreciate these images. Landman is filmed in Texas, which can be tough in the summer with the heat, but it is also gorgeous. Larter’s photos proved that. The first image, with the blazing orange sun, is absolutely stunning, and I adore her cute outfit that includes jeans and a simple white tank. Meanwhile, the second photo shows presumably her and maybe Billy Bob Thornton, who plays her on-screen husband Tommy Norris, standing together with the sun behind them.

They’re gorgeous images, and they feel like such a great companion to the sentimental caption the Final Destination actress wrote.

Fans were thrilled about this post, too, as they took to the comments to post messages like:

• Can't wait! -sinisi2012
• Can’t wait! Best cast ever! -thekelleycate
• I LOVE Angela 😍🔥👏 -jessclark7
• Can’t wait!! We love this show and the Cast ❤️❤️-mich451927
• 👏👏👏 -Brooklyn Decker

The common reaction in the comments was about how fans can’t wait for Season 2, and I’m right there with them.

For starters, Sam Elliott is joining the series, marking another very famous actor to star in a Taylor Sheridan show. Not only that, but it will mark his second series with the mega producer, as he led the Yellowstone prequel 1883, in which Billy Bob Thornton also had a cameo in. So, his involvement in the oil drama is very, very exciting.

Also, in the Season 1 finale of Landman, Andy Garcia’s cartel leader, Gallino, finally made his appearance, and we’ve been hoping that he’ll play a much bigger role in Season 2. I’m hopeful that Demi Moore’s Cami will play a bigger part in the new episodes, too, after playing a shockingly small role in Season 1.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Tommy and Angela’s ever-dramatic relationship evolves as well, while their kids figure out their place in the family and the family business.

So, all around this post from Larter is getting me hyped for what’s to come, and hopefully, we get to watch it on the 2025 TV schedule too. However, a release date is not confirmed, but I would guess it could come out at the end of this year or early 2026, considering that’s when Season 1 was released.

All that is to say, I’m thrilled about what’s to come, and Larter’s post about wrapping up filming upped the excitement tenfold. So, let’s get ready to return to Texas.

No one truly knows what’s going to happen on live TV, especially when a landmark comedic institution like Saturday Night Live is involved. While the NBC late night staple is missing from the 2025 TV schedule while on hiatus, that just means it’s a good time for cast members past and present to share some of their most memorable stories about past SNL hosts in Studio 8H as we wait to hear who's hosting upcoming episodes.

The latest example centers on previous guest host Billy Bob Thornton getting into a bit of a disagreement with a crew member, which resulted in a situation that sounds ripe for one of his movies.. In the latest episode of The Lonely Island & Seth Meyers Podcast, the conversation turned to late SNL lighting designer Phil Hymes, thanks to memories of his expertise throughout decades on the job, leading Seth Meyers to share the story behind Hymes and the aforementioned Landman cast member clashing during his 2001 hosting gig, as described below:

Now that definitely sounds like a heated exchange on face value; and if you know Billy Bob Thornton’s work, you could imagine him staring daggers at Phil Hymes at this point. That is, until you get to what I think is the detail that really makes this story.

As Seth Meyers continued his the tale, he included this additional context on how, and more importantly where, that confrontation took place:

Curious fans are welcome to utilize their Peacock subscriptions to try and spot where/when this may have happened.

Mr. Thornton certainly has a reputation for being a larger-than-life character, on both sides of the camera. However, that particular door opens both ways, especially when this story is compared to what some consider to be SNL’s potentially worst host. One could very easily picture this “men of honor” moment transpiring; maybe even ending with a firm handshake and some lighthearted profanity.

If only Thornton and Hymes had ridden back to the stage on horses, though considering the dimensions of those hallways, that doesn’t seem possible. Which is exactly the sort of detail this Saturday Night Live veteran would have appreciated; as shown in this podcast’s wealth of knowledge. Strangely enough, it also fits into the context of Billy Bob Thornton's rejection of major villain roles in the past.

Though speaking of details, I seriously wonder how that conversation played out exactly, as if you go back and watch that monologue, Billy Bob Thornton is still wearing that baseball cap. You can see for yourself, as well as catch up with any of the previous 50 seasons of SNL, through streaming on Peacock. Meanwhile, this fall will see Season 51’s premiere, on a date that’s still to be determined.

Rob Reiner's Misery is a great movie with a number of fantastic behind-the-scenes tales – including the fact that a significant collection of big actors were offered and turned down the role of Paul Sheldon before James Caan said "yes" (the list including Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, William Hurt, Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, and Richard Dreyfus). But here's a new bit of trivia: did you know that Billy Bob Thornton was originally cast to play a part in the acclaimed Stephen King adaptation? He didn't land the role of Paul or even Sherriff Buster, who is played by Richard Farnsworth; instead, the story is much stranger than that.

The newest edition on Variety's "Actors On Actors" series features a sit down between Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates, and one of the most fascinating parts of the conversation sees the former reveal to the latter that he was almost one of her co-stars in Misery (a film that won Bates the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1991). He explained that he didn't just audition for a role but instead won it in the room, saying,

Those of you who have seen Misery are probably saying to yourselves right now, "Wait a second... Sheriff Buster doesn't have a deputy in the movie." Well, I can assure you that your memory is not failing you. The Richard Farnsworth character (who, it should be noted, is not featured in the Stephen King novel) has a terrific scene partner in Frances Sternhagen's Virginia, his wife, but he seems to operate alone in Colorado's Silver County.

According to Billy Bob Thornton, there was a version of the script by William Goldman that featured Sheriff Buster having a deputy, and Thornton landed that part. There are two big twists, however: 1) it was decided that the character would be cut from the movie prior to the start of production, and 2) Rob Reiner was willing to shoot the scenes with Thornton despite the fact that he knew they weren't going to make it into the final cut of Misery. The actor said that he got a very polite call from Reiner just before he was planning to head to set:

Billy Bob Thornton's response was that he would have felt "weird" about doing that, and making a bunch of "stuff" that was "worthless in the end." Thus, he didn't go to set. This certainly feels like a sweet case of an actor-turned-director reaching out a hand to a fellow professional – perhaps understanding from personal experience the burn of landing a job and then having it taken away. It was a very generous offer.

But I have so many questions. Understanding that Misery wasn't exactly a huge blockbuster, how much would have the meant-to-be-cut scenes with Billy Bob Thornton have cost the production had they been shot? What was the character's personality, and how did it fit into the dynamic between Buster and Virginia? Is there even the slightest percentage chance that he would have been the victim in the scene where Annie Wilkes rolls over a guy with a lawnmower?

Sadly, it doesn't seem from the edited interview that Kathy Bates followed up – so perhaps there will be a follow-up interview with Rob Reiner where he clarifies his side of the story.

As is, Misery is a perfect movie, and part of that stems from how lean it is as a horror/thriller. If you're now in the mood to watch, the bad news is that it's not currently available in any libraries of the major streaming services, but the film is widely available for digital rental/purchase, and Kino Lorber released a terrific 4K UHD edition a few years ago that is a must for anyone building a Stephen King library.

One of the biggest TV debuts in 2024 wasn’t about superheroes, medical professionals, government agents, or media mogul billionaires, but rather the world of Texas oilfields. (Landman does feature several non-media billionaires, and Jerry Jones did pop in for a guest spot, but I digress.) The latest of Taylor Sheridan’s streaming dramas was a massive hit for viewers with Paramount+ subscriptions, with Emmy nomination hopes also on the table, and the cast members shared a few thoughts about the currently filming Season 2.

Billy Bob Thornton On Sam Elliott And Andy Garcia In Season 2

To be expected, Thornton wasn't able to talk willy nilly about everything fans can expect to see. In fact, he seemingly didn't address any story elements when talking to THR. However, he did confirm that production for Season 2 kicked off in April, and the actor believes filming will be concluding in August. As well, he addressed what I think is the biggest addition to Season 2, Sam Elliott, who already starred in a Taylor Sheridan series, 1883. According to Thornton:

To be sure, Billy Bob Thornton himself guest-starred in 1883 as Marshal Jim Courtright for a pretty hectic episode. As far as I can tell, though, he and Sam Elliott first co-starred in 1992's highly quotable western Tombstone, while apparently knowing each other behind the scenes even before that. It's impossible to guess what to expect from the above comment, but I think we can at least infer that they've been working together, and that Sam won't be held for a last-minute arrival the way Andy Garcia's cartel boss Galino was before his Season 1 finale arrival.

Speaking of Garcia, Billy Bob Thornton made sure to confirm that Garcia's character will have a bigger role in Season 2, while also speaking to their personal history together.

The two actors did share a scene in Landman's finale, during which Thornton's Tommy was tied up and beaten. But it'll be interesting to see if the Season 2 story plays out in a way where Galino and Tommy will be in close poximity on a regular basis. I can't imagine that would be the case, but I wouldn't want either Galino or Sam Elliott's character to show up mostly in scenes away from the main characters.

Landman's Jacob Lofland On Filming In The Texas Heat

For all that the cast and crew members are happy about being around each other while Season 2 is coming together, Cooper Norris portrayer Jacob Lofland brought up a specific downside to filming this series in Texas during the spring and summer months. As he put it:

As someone who has lived in either Louisiana or Texas for my entire life, I can speak at length about how awful it is to have to be outside for any amount of time ahead of and during the dreary summer months. Texas isn't always as humid and muggy, but those details hardly matter once one has sweat through multiple layers of clothing. So I'm glad to hear that precautions are being taken, since heat strokes are no joke.

Thankfully, it doesn't sound like the heat is so miserable that it's affecting anyone's opinions about the scripts that were crafted for Season 2. Lofland paid them especially high praise in saying:

Hopefully those "amazing" scripts will also feature a big uptick in scenes featuring Demi Moore's Cami, who was underutilized in the first season as the wife of Jon Hamm's Monty. He's gone now, though, so the door should be open for Cami to walk through and shine. Just hopefully not as bright as the Texas sun, lest production be shut down early.

There is no question that Tombstone is one of the best Westerns ever made, and as this list proves, it's easily the most quotable. If we're honest here, almost every line in the movie is quotable. While we can't just reproduce the script here, we can offer many of the lines we love the most. So, without further ado, our list of quotes that make Tombstone the most quotable Western ever.

"I'm your huckleberry"

You know this one had to be on the list. Doc Holliday in Tombstone is arguably Val Kilmer's best role, and his most famous line has to be when he is facing down Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) towards the very end of the movie. It certainly scares Ringo.

"You gonna do somethin' or just stand there and bleed?"

Almost as soon as Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and his brothers get to the town of Tombstone, Wyatt takes over the faro game at one of the saloons. The man he takes it over for, Johnny Tyler, played wonderfully by Billy Bob Thornton, has a lot to say, but nothing to back it up.

"All right, Clanton... you called down the thunder, well now you've got it!"

Wyatt Earp's revenge ride, at least how it's portrayed in the movie, starts with Wyatt taking out his first few Cowboys on a train platform after his brother leaves town. He leaves one man alive, Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang), so he can carry Wyatt's message back to the rest of the Cowboys.

"Listen, Mr. Kansas Law Dog. Law don't go around here. Savvy?"

Ike Clanton is one of the most memorable characters in Tombstone, and easily his most iconic line comes when the Cowboys first introduce themselves to Wyatt as the former lawman deals cards in the saloon. After Curly Bill (Powers Boothe) explains the situation in Tombstone, Ike backs up the words succinctly. There isn't much law in the mining town.

"Already got a guilty conscience. Might as well have the money, too."

It only takes a few moments for the movie to set the stage. Wyatt and the other Earps arrive by train into Tucson on their way to strike it rich in Tombstone. Wyatt's reputation as a legendary lawman precedes him, but he's not interested in becoming a sheriff again. That much, he makes clear.

"If we're gonna have a future in this town, it's gotta have some law and order!"

Virgil Earp (Sam Elliott) is as no-nonsense as his brother, Wyatt, and his reputation as a lawman was just as legendary at the time. Though he joined his brothers in Tombstone to strike it rich, it doesn't take long before he returns to fighting crime. Wyatt is upset, but Virgil has his reasons.

"I have nothing left, nothing to give you, I have no pride, no dignity, no money, I don't even know how we'll make a living, but I promise I'll love you the rest of your life"

It's easy to forget, among all the machismo in Tombstone, that there is also a pretty love story between Wyatt and Josephine (Dana Delaney) in the movie as well. Wyatt delivers some classic lines in that regard, including laying his cards on the table about how he envisions their life together. Luckily, she's rich.

"I have two guns, one for each of ya."

The real-life Doc Holliday was a legendary gunman and a legendary drunk. In this one life, he pretty much sums up just how confident he is in both those skills. When he's accused of seeing double, he retorts with a classic line that has become one of the most quoted in the movie.

"That's not what he said, you ignorant wretch. Your Spanish is worse than your English."

Johnny Ringo is a stylish bad guy and an associate of the Cowboys. He's also the smartest of the bunch, and in the beginning, after a priest condemns a group of Cowboys after they murder a wedding party, Johnny cuts down when his fellow Cowboys and explains what the priest was saying before Ringo shot him dead.

"I don't think I'll let you arrest us today, Behan."

Johnny Behan, played by The Closer's Jon Tenney, is the corrupt sheriff of Tombstone who aligns himself with the Cowboys. After the most famous moment in the movie, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, takes place, the sharp-dressed sheriff tries to arrest the Earps. Wyatt disagrees.

"All right, 'lunger'. Let's do it."

Tombstone is filled with great language from a bygone era. "Lunger" is one of those terms you hear and might not understand the context at first. When Ringo calls Holliday a lunger at their showdown, he's making fun of Holliday's health, as Holliday is dying of tuberculosis.

"You're a daisy if you do."

Val Kilmer had a lot of amazing lines to deliver in one of his best roles, and this one is right up near the top. It happens right at the end of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, when it appears Doc Holliday is out of bullets. As a cowboy takes aim, Doc dares the man to shoot. Of course, that was a bad idea, and the Cowboy should've just let things be.

"Go ahead, skin it! Skin that smokewagon and see what happens!"

"Smokewagon" has to be one of the best ways to say "gun" in the history of the English language. In that amazing confrontation between Johnny Tyler and Wyatt, Tyler starts to draw, then thinks better of it. Wyatt dares him to pull out the pistol, but Tyler relents.

"Remember what I said about people seein' a bright light before they die? It ain't true. I can't see a damn thing."

Morgan Earp, played by the late Bill Paxton, is the youngest and most naive Earp brother. Unlike his older brothers, he's got a more philosophical outlook on life, and, it turns out, death. After he's fatally shot by the Cowboys, he reminisces with Wyatt about what he believed happened when someone died, but tragically, it's not how it turns out to be for him.

"No need to go heeled to get the bulge on a tub like you."

Many people find themselves rewinding over and over to figure out exactly what Wyatt says to Johnny Tyler as their confrontation begins at the faro table. Wyatt immediately insults Tyler, and it only gets worse from that for Billy Bob Thornton's character.

"Why Ed does this mean we're not friends anymore? You know Ed, if I thought you weren't my friend... I just don't think I could bear it!"

The introduction of one of Val Kilmer's best characters comes near the beginning of the movie, and he's playing cards. After being accused of cheating, he takes offense and wonders why his opponent is so upset. All while tickling the ivory handle of one of his pistols. It's hard to believe Kilmer wasn't always the first choice for the role of Doc; originally, Willem Dafoe was who the producers wanted.

"Why Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave."

The final confrontation between Doc and Ringo is classic Western stuff. Ringo wasn't ready for Doc, but Doc was more than ready for Ringo.

"Look at all the stars. You look up and you think, "God made all this and He remembered to make a little speck like me." It's kind of flattering, really."

There are some moments of sweet levity in Tombstone, and often they come from Morgan Earp, and his philosophical pondering.

"I'm gettin' tired of your gas. Now jerk that pistol and go to work!"

Finally, Wyatt has had enough of Johnny Tyler's "gas" and tells him the fight is on. Tyler is far too scared to draw his pistol, though, and eventually Wyatt hauls him out of the saloon by his ear like a petulant child.

"I'm an oak alright."

This classic line is a throwback to earlier in the movie when Wyatt first sees Josephine in the saloon. He tries to explain to Doc that he's a married man and will stand by his vows. Doc calls him an "oak" when Wyatt rebuffs Josephine. Later, Wyatt sarcastically thinks back to that as he chases Josephine on horseback.

"My dear, you've set your gaze upon the quintessential frontier type. Note the lean silhouette... eyes closed by the sun, though sharp as a hawk. He's got the look of both predator and prey."

Billy Zane has one of the more under-appreciated roles in the movie as a traveling actor alongside Josephine. He does have one glowing moment, however, when he sums up Josephine's type of man by describing Wyatt.

"From now on I see a red sash, I kill the man wearing it. So run you cur. And tell the other curs the law is coming. You tell 'em I'm coming! And Hell's coming with me you hear! Hell's coming with me!"

Wyatt Earp's revenge ride is pretty much the whole third act of the movie, and it all starts when he lays down his threat to Ike Clanton and the rest of the Cowboys after taking some of them out after they killed Morgan and shot Virgil.

"Very cosmopolitan."

One of the funniest lines comes, unsurprisingly, from Doc Holliday. It's subtle, but after listening to Behan prattle on about how sophisticated Tombstone has become, four gunfighters spill into the street and duel it out in front of them all. Very cosmopolitan.

"Oh. Johnny, I apologize; I forgot you were there. You may go now."

Poor Johnny Tyler just can't get any respect. When he returns to confront Wyatt after losing his faro game, Doc dismisses him without giving him any respect.

"Fight's commenced! Get to fightin' or get away!"

Ike Clanton is a despicable character in Tombstone, and he's at his worst when he begs to get out of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Wyatt tells him exactly what to do.

"It's like I'm sittin' here playin' cards with my brother's kids or somethin'."

Though he has a pretty small role, Tombstone is still one of Billy Bob Thornton's best movies, and that's because the few lines he does have are priceless. Like when we, as an audience, first meet his character and he's annoyed with literally everything around him, especially the guy smoking next to him.

"You die first, get it? Your friends might get me in a rush, but not before I make your head into a canoe, you understand me?"

The first time Wyatt has a direct confrontation with Ike, Wyatt is outnumbered. Luckily, Ike's cooler head prevails (surprisingly), and when he figures out Wyatt is serious, he backs off with his men.

"Come on boys. We don't want any trouble in here. Not in any language."

Another local lawman, Marshal Fred White, played by legendary Western actor Harry Carey Jr., tries to keep things cool when they get heated between Doc and Ringo. It works at first, but the water between them keeps boiling.

"Why Kate, you're not wearing a bustle. How lewd."

"Big Nose" Kate (Joanna Pacuła) was Doc Holliday's long-time companion, and she was known to be just as tough as Doc, and just as ready for a fight, which is why she wasn't wearing a bustle.

"Forgive me if I don't shake hands."

When Doc first meets Behan, he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the corrupt sheriff.

"Sure you do. Say goodbye to me. Go grab that spirited actress and make her your own. Take that beauty from it, don't look back. Live every second. Live right on to the end. Live Wyatt. Live for me. Wyatt, if you were ever my friend - if ya ever had even the slightest of feelin' for me, leave now. Leave now... Please."

If ever there was proof that Val Kilmer should have won an Oscar in his career, it's his final scene with Kurt Russell, as he lies dying of tuberculosis. It's masterful.

"Well... bye."

Powers Boothe plays Curly Bill, the de facto leader of the Cowboys, and when he thinks he's finally run the Earps out of town, he only has two words for them. Those two words, "Well, bye," have since become a meme that is useful for so many things. It, like all the rest of the lines on this list, is a true classic.

When I learned about Landman, I was blown away by the cast, with Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm and Demi Moore standing out as the big names I couldn’t wait to see on screen. So, you can imagine my disappointment when the actress on that list was barely used. I wasn’t the only one feeling this way either, many were shocked by Moore’s lack of screentime. However, now, the co-creator of this Texas-set show has opened up about her role and the fans' response to her character Cami in Season 1.

As Landman ran through the end of 2024 and into the 2025 TV schedule, I kept wondering week after week if Moore’s character would finally get a big breakout moment. Then, when she landed on the 2025 Golden Globe winner’s list for her role in The Substance, it put an exclamation point on this concern, because this actress is having a moment and it’s baffling that she didn’t play a bigger role in this show.

Thankfully, the show’s co-creator and executive producer, Christian Wallace, addressed this and Cami’s future during an interview with TV Line, saying:

For basically all of Season 1, Moore was simply playing Monty’s wife. We saw her at a track meet in the pool and eventually mourning her husband. However, at no point, did she ever really get her own storyline. That’s wild, especially because DEMI MOORE is playing the part.

However, it feels like they have something cooking for her. If Landman gets a second season, it seems like that’s when the Ghost actress could really shine. With Jon Hamm's Monty dead, there’s a lot of shifting going on within MTex’s hierarchy, and I feel like Cami will play a part in that, as Wallace alluded. Basically, I want to see her making a big play for power or taking control of the company and delivering monologues that make me love her like I love Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy.

Wallace spoke to that idea as well, saying:

Notably, Landman's reviews pointed out its representation of women as an issue, and I agree. In the case of Cami, she was deeply underutilized and there wasn’t much dimension to her character. I really only know that she’s Monty’s wife and has a past with Tommy. However, if Wallace’s point comes to fruition in Season 2, that could change.

I want to see Moore being a power player on this show, and it seems like they might be setting her up to be. So, here’s hoping that if we get more Landman it also means we get more Cami.

However, for the time being, you can go back and watch Landman with a Paramount+ subscription and start theorizing about how they could update Demi Moore’s part to make her a major character in this epic drama.

Major spoilers below for the Season 1 finale of Taylor Sheridan’s Landman, so tread carefully if you haven’t yet streamed the ep with a Paramount+ subscription.

With its first two episodes, Landman set up Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris as a lead character who won some fans over more than Yellowstone’s John Dutton had, and the streaming drama’s first season ended with the oil-focused patriarch suffering more than a few wounds at the hands (and hammered nails) of the Mexican cartel. All while Ali Larter’s Angela and Michelle Randolph’s Ainsley provided good vibes a-plenty while exploiting Mitchell Slaggert’s Ryder for his stripping skills.

Arguably most exciting was the arrival of a character whose introduction was set up by a long-ago casting report, but I’m not altogether sold on how successful the ep was on the whole, considering the Season 1 conclusion committed the same sin as the rest of the season by under-utilizing co-star Demi Moore. But we’ll get into that a bit lower down.

Andy Garcia's Galino Finally Arrived In A More Peaceful Way Than Expected

As one of the first major TV finales of the 2025 TV schedule, Landman delivered all kinds of titillation, from fiery explosions to close-up violence to strip-club shenanigans. Those first two tied back Episode 8’s National Guard airstrike test that accidentally took out a cartel vehicle and its inhabitants. Tommy’s dwindling relationship with the criminal organization might have fizzled out completely if Alex Meraz’s Jiminez had been able to continue torturing Tommy to death to send a message.

Fortunately for Billy Bob Thornton’s lead, Jiminez’s efforts were limited to several punches to the face, a hammer thwack to the hand, a nail driven into his thigh, and a can of gasoline being poured over his hooded head. Before the cartel enforcer could issue further damage, a slew of gunshots rang out in the gentleman’s club located above their heads, and Jiminez was shot to death by his own organization.

Which is when we joined Tommy in finally some face-time with Andy Garcia’s cartel kingpin Galino, whose personality and motivations are largely still a mystery to audiences, since he was only on screen for around seven minutes. I can’t be sure, but it seems like Jerry Jones’ cameo in the penultimate episode had more speaking time, but maybe it’s just because he told a long anecdote.

Considering the majority of the first season played out without his on-screen involvement, I’m hoping Galino and Tommy have to work closely together in the future to maintain peace without the need for more bodies to drop. Because if Galino didn’t hesitate to take out seemingly Jimenez's entire team, I imagine his more chaotic impulses will be very fun to watch Tommy tiptoe around as he tries to manipulate the gang boss.

Demi Moore's Cami Remained Criminally Underused, Which Needs To Be Fixed For Season 2

I realize that Taylor Sheridan likely had no inkling in mind that Demi Moore would win her first major acting award as Landman was in the midst of its first season. (She took home the 2025 Golden Globe for her stellar performance in Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance.) And so he didn’t have it in mind that he could easily capitalize on such success with her character Cami, who was easily the most underused in Season 1’s fully loaded ensemble.

As the doting wife of Jon Hamm’s oil-tethered bazillionaire Monty Miller, Cami appeared in more than half of Landman’s episodes, but without heading up her own storyline, and the finale didn’t exactly change the game in that respect. Because even though the preceding episode ended in a way that made it appear as if Monty had died, which could have led to Moore’s Cami nailing a marquee emotional sequence in the concluding ep, things didn’t play out so fatally.

Though her screentime was definitely upped in the extended-length episode, Moore’s character was mostly limited to looking sad during conversations about handling Monty’s will and assets in ways that are most likely to leave everyone millionaires. Later, we finally do get a moment with Cami sobbing against Monty’s chest as their daughters weep nearby, and the flat lines on the monitor make it seem clear that he did indeed pass on.

I’ll allow that Sheridan might not have even had much in mind for Camy’s story beyond her being a dutiful wife and friend to Tommy, and that Moore may not have been primed to take on anything wildly dramatic. But now that we’re at a point where she’s as hot an acting commodity as ever, I can only hope that Cami’s role in Season 2 is as beefy as Texas’ heaviest cattle, even if it means the creator has to make a few changes to his scripts before production begins anew.

All in all, the finale did a solid enough job of setting up this world’s near future, even if Paramount+ execs haven’t officially put the order in yet. Despite our hopes to see Jacob Lofland’s Cooper in the field more, it appears he’s taking a more physically manageable route as a deal broker for Tim DeZarn’s Perry Hardin and his neighbors, and his relationship with Paulina Chavez’s Ariana Medina is still heading in positive directions, albeit understandably slowly as she continues to mourn.

But before we can see how any of the above story points play out in the future, Season 2 has to actually exist. So just in case the studio bosses still need convincing, be sure to tell everyone you know to stream episodes of Landman on Paramount+.

Billy Bob Thornton has been in a lot of big movies and TV shows over the years, but apparently the actor could have played two iconic movie villains. The actor shared why he turned down being in one of the best Spider-Man movies and being an adversary to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt for rather practical personal reasons.

Thornton recently found himself at the forefront of one new series on the 2024 TV schedule when the Landman premiere date arrived last month. Amidst starring in Taylor Sheridan’s latest Paramount+ series, he spoke about why he chose to pass on two iconic movie roles. In his words:

While speaking to The Playlist, Thornton bluntly shared why he decided not to be the villain in the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie or Mission: Impossible III. In terms of Spider-Man, he just wasn’t up for all the prep work to get into costume as Norman Osborn’s alter ego, The Green Goblin. Though from our standpoint, Osborn more so had to wear a mask and a clunky suit rather than having a lot of time in the makeup chair. Obviously Willem Dafoe would go on to play the character not only in the original Spider-Man movie, but also through cameos in the two sequels, and then fully reprising the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

When it comes to Mission: Impossible III, we have to imagine Billy Bob Thornton was initially up for the role of Owen Davian, who famously was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Thornton had an awareness that the villain in the Mission: Impossible movie would forever be recognized and remembered as such, and it sounds like he wasn’t interested in being perceived as such. And hey, in his defense, I do still vividly remember Hoffman in that role nearly 20 years later.

So Billy Bob Thornton drew the line at some seriously great roles. It doesn’t sound like he regrets the decision one bit. The actor has instead kept us guessing, between becoming a great director and spending the early 2000s in some of his best movies like Monster’s Ball, Bad Santa, Friday Night Lights and The Astronaut Farmer.

In his new series, Landman, Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a Texan who works on the oilfields and has to deal with an investigation of his business. You can catch up with a Paramount+ subscription, and look forward to new episodes on Sundays.

Spoilers for the first four episodes of Landman Season 1 are ahead!

So far, as Landman has aired on the 2024 TV schedule, I’ve been enamored by Billy Bob Thornton’s fascinating fixer Tommy Norris, AKA, the middleman for a massive oil company. With his tale, however, come a whole bunch of other storylines revolving around characters close to him. Now, considering we’re four episodes into Season 1 and sort of have a sense of who everyone is, I’m ready to make a claim: I think we need to see more of Cooper and less of Angela and Ainsley.

I Want To See More Of Cooper Working Out In The Field

From the jump, I’ve been fascinated by Cooper. Physically, he’s not the kind of guy you’d expect to see working the fields, and then watching him struggle with a painful amount of persistence is simultaneously difficult and super interesting. However, knowing that Jacob Lofland’s character is doing this to own his own oil company one day is what really piqued my curiosity.

To be clear, I’m not interested in seeing more of the odd subplot where Cooper is kind of helping and/or attracted to one of the women who lost her partner in the explosion at the start of the season. I just want to see more of him on the job.

So far, we’ve really only watched him get hurt or someone on his team suffer an injury. I want to see more of his comradery with his co-workers, more conversations with his dad about the business in general, and more obvious steps he’s taking to move up.

Clearly, that can be played out over a very long period. However, I think they could show more of it now, especially since there’s another storyline we could see less of.

I Want To See Less Of Angela And Ainsley Lying Around

If you look at some of the critical reviews of Landman, many of them focus on how women are represented in the show, specifically noting Tommy’s daughter Ainsley and ex-wife Angela. While I think these characters have potential, I’d have to agree with the critics. So far, these women have really only lounged around in swimsuits while the men who live with Tommy try not to ogle at them.

Quite frankly that got old about two seconds after it started happening, and now we’ve been dealing with it for four episodes.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to see Ali Larter’s explosive ex-wife and Michelle Randolph’s daughter who is trying to figure life out. I think they have the potential to be such strong characters on the show. However, at the moment, the scripts aren't giving them that. And I’d like them to do something other than lounge around while the men act kind of creepy around them.

It’s weird, unnecessary and a waste of screen time and two potentially phenomenal characters.

My hope is that there is a bigger plan for these two women, though. I’m intrigued by the idea of Angela and Ainsley moving in with Tommy, and I really want to see the whole family dynamic with Cooper being around as well. Now, that’s a story that has potential!

However, sadly, that hasn’t been explored on Landman yet.

We did get a small taste of the family nuances in Episode 4 when Angela and Tommy opened up about experiencing a bust in the oil industry, tough, and that was an interesting story worthy of more screen time. So, here’s hoping it will get some, and give us a story worthy of Angela and Ainsley.

To see if we get more or less of both these storylines, you can watch Landman with a Paramount+ subscription every Sunday.

With the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season premiering one week before Taylor Sheridan’s new show Landman, I can’t help but compare the two. As a massive fan of the flagship show, I tend to tune in when a new Paramount+ series from the creator hits the 2024 TV schedule, and Landman really impressed me. That’s partly because I immediately found Billy Bob Thornton’s main character, Tommy Norris, more likable than Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

Now, don’t get it twisted. I love Yellowstone, and I think John Dutton is a formidable patriarch. However, as reviews for Landman point out, Billy Bob Thornton’s charisma is off the charts, his character Tommy is super complex and messy, and ultimately, it makes me like his character more than John after watching the first two episodes.

While They’re Both Incredibly Intelligent, Tommy Norris Is Super Messy And John Dutton Is Not

In Yellowstone, John Dutton is a closed book, he’s quite stoic and he keeps to himself. Not a lot of emotion is shown, and that’s intentional. However, after five seasons – at times – I found it boring. While it was interesting to see him find new ways to save the ranch, what I really wanted from him was some emotion! But cool, calm and collected was the name of his game.

That is not the name of Tommy's game, oh no. He might be cool, calm and collected sometimes, but most of the time, the guy is a hot mess. As he says, he’s:

He’s got a lot to clean up himself, and his entire job is to manage crises across an oil company. And we see all of that on display in the first two episodes.

One moment that really stood out to me that proves all this came when he went to an oil field right after some of his employees died. To fix the mine, he got next to it himself and banged on the screw to get to the valve. In the process of doing that, he smashed his own finger.

However, before he went to the hospital, he drank a Dr. Pepper and smoked a cigarette. Then, when he got to the hospital, he wouldn’t sit still. He was trying to get out fast and was debating with the doctor. It was honestly hilarious, and his actions highlighted his bravery and intelligence, while also displaying the qualities that make him a messy loose cannon, which makes for fantastic television.

John Dutton Is The Yellowstone’s Patriarch, While Tommy Norris Is A Middleman, Making For More Interesting Power Dynamics

One of the primary reasons I always thought Yellowstone’s final chapter might work better without Kevin Costner’s character was the idea that shifting and transitioning the power dynamics would make for more interesting TV. For the first four and a half seasons he was the guy in charge, and everything done by his kids was done to support him.

Now that John is gone, we get to see the kids deal with the line of succession and battle it out for power. That’s the good stuff right there!

That battle and struggle for power is already baked into Billy Bob Thornton’s Landman character. Here’s how the Oscar winner described Tommy’s job as a landman to CBS Mornings:

Jon Hamm’s character is the big man in charge, which makes Thornton a middleman of sorts. He has authority, but not all of it, and it makes for fascinating power dynamics in the show. Unlike John Dutton, who reports to no one, Tommy has to play a more complicated game.

He’s trying to serve his boss and protect his employees and family. That struggle makes for some explosive moments, and it makes his character so delightfully intriguing.

Tommy Clearly Cares For His Kids, John’s Care Is Not So Obvious

John Dutton is the kind of character who keeps his emotions locked deep down inside him, and they never, ever really come out. When his son Lee died, he was sad but stoic. When he branded the Y onto Kayce, he was clearly angry but kept things collected. He also obviously can’t stand Jamie and adores Beth with all his heart, however, outside of him occasionally saying that, it’s hard to tell through his actions.

One time, he hugged Kayce and told him he loved him; that felt so out of character, and I wish it wouldn’t have, because I love the emotions!

That would never be the case with Tommy Norris.

This landman is the antithesis of John Dutton, and he wears his heart on his sleeve a lot of the time, especially when it comes to his kids. I have my issues with how his daughter is depicted in the show, and how men look at her seeing as she is a minor. However, when it comes to her relationship with her father, it’s refreshing. Tommy cares so deeply for her, and when she finds out her boyfriend is using her, he compassionately comforts her.

Tommy is capable of being vulnerable, especially when it comes to his family it seems, and that’s something I really appreciate about his character. It’s also something I can’t wait to see more of.

Overall, I do like John Dutton’s guarded, powerful vibe, and it’s a big reason why Yellowstone works, because those around him are trying to please and/or help him while trying to figure out how he feels about them. With Tommy Norris, I don’t think figuring out how he feels about someone is a guessing game, and I love that about him, especially when you mix it with his complex professional power dynamic. So, yeah, after two episodes, I do think I like Tommy more than John.

However, we’ll have to see how that opinion evolves, because new episodes of Yellowstone (sans John Dutton) air on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on the Paramount Network, while Landman will continue to air on Sundays for those with a Paramount+ subscription.

I’ve always been of the opinion that if you are into Yellowstone, you’ll enjoy Taylor Sheridan’s other shows. If you are not here for those gritty, Western, melodramatic series, then you should maybe turn on something else. It appears that sentiment remains true for his latest project Landman, because the reviews for it are all over the place. So, with its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule just days away, let’s go over what critics are saying about this Billy Bob Thornton-led drama.

Coming off the heels of Yellowstone’s Season 5B premiere, Taylor Sheridan’s newest project Landman is set to premiere on Sunday, November 17. The show takes place in West Texas and follows Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris, the man who does the fixing for a powerful oil company. Like all of the super producer’s shows, this series is action-packed, intense and loaded with monologues. For some that works. For others, it doesn't.

There’s One Camp Who Did Not Love Landman

There are lots of critics who had a few bones to pick with Taylor Sheridan and his newest drama. For example, Daniel Fienberg’s review for THR highlights Billy Bob Thornton’s power as an actor, however, other than that, he didn’t seem to enjoy Landman much. He wrote:

Over at EW, Kristen Baldwin criticized the show for its depiction of women, headlining the review with “Man, does this new Taylor Sheridan drama hate women.” While she noted, as you will read below, that the first few episodes are fantastic, it was hard to see past the way the female characters are depicted:

The series is based on Christian Wallace’s podcast Boomtown, and it tells a fictionalized story about the modern oil industry. In Kelcie Mattson’s review for Collider, she stated that Landman had potential, however, it lacked the nuance needed to succeed:

So, as you can see – and this is par for the course with Taylor Sheridan shows – there are lots of folks who have their critiques, and they’re fair. However, on the other side of this, there’s a whole other camp of critics who love Landman.

However, There’s A Whole Other Camp Of Critics Who Are Very Here For Landman

While Landman has its critics, it also has admirers. Over at Looper, Akos Peterbencze gave the series a 7.5 out of 10, citing Billy Bob Thornton's performance as one of the biggest pros of the show:

Meanwhile, along with praising the A-lister helming Sheridan’s show, CBR’s Brittany Frederick spent a lot of time comparing Landman to Yellowstone in a very complimentary way. Noting how Thornton’s character Tommy is the polar opposite of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, this new show does tackle similar themes and shares a lot of the drama the writer’s flagship show has:

Over at TV Guide, Liam Mathews had a similar opinion, naming Landman a “Worthy Successor to Yellowstone” in the headline. Like all the other reviews, the lead’s performance is praised. However, this critic made a big point about how refreshing it is to have a funny character in the lead role. He wrote that this makes Landman a refreshing entry in Taylor Sheridan's ever-growing catalog of work:

If you learn anything about Landman from these critics, it seems to be that viewers’ mileage on this show may vary. However, if you dig Taylor Sheridan’s other projects – and specifically are a fan of Yellowstone – then this new series might be for you.

To figure out which side of this debate you fall on, you can stream the first two episodes of Landman with a Paramount+ subscription starting Sunday, November 17.

Hollywood is a tough place to get your big break. Many actors struggle for years before they finally hit it big. These stars put in the effort and stuck with it until they finally became huge stars after they turned 40. Stars like Steve Carell, Kathy Bates, Alan Rickman, and many more actors like them are household names now, but it took them years to get there.

Steve Carell

Like so many other people Steve Carell started his career at Second City in Chicago. He then kicked around television for a while, with roles on the Dana Carvey Show and eventually at The Daily Show. It's when he left that show to head the cast in The Office that his career exploded and he became one of the most beloved stars on earth.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has one of the most impressive resumes in Hollywood, but it took him a long time to get there. His first credit came in 1972 when he was 24, but it would take another two decades or so, after a series of smaller roles in the late '80s, that he would land the role of Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction and have his career completely explode.

Alan Rickman

The late, great Alan Rickman started acting in theater in the mid-70s, finding regular roles throughout the early '80s. Then, in 1988, at age 42, he made his feature film debut in a little movie called Die Hard. To this day, Hans Gruber is a legendary villain. He would go on to star in dozens of movies, most notably the Harry Potter films, before passing away in 2016 at age 69.

Betty White

Though Betty White had a little success in her 30s with her eponymous TV show for NBC in the '50s and minor hit Life with Elizabeth in the same decade, it really wasn't until after her 40th birthday in 1962 that she really rose to big stardom. After her 50th birthday, she was cast in the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and after her 60th birthday, she teamed up with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty in the role she's probably best known for today in Golden Girls.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman was born in 1937, but it would take almost 50 years for the legend to truly break out in film. After working here and there as a dancer and as a stage actor in the 1960s and '70s, he scored his breakout role in 1987's Street Smart, starring alongside Christopher Reeve. His performance earned him the first of his Oscar nominations and by 1989's Glory, Freeman was a bonafide star.

Bea Arthur

Like her Golden Girls co-star Betty White, major success came later for the great Bea Arthur. Though she was a steadily-working actor starting in the 1940s, it wasn't until she played the character Maude Findlay, first in All In The Family, then her own spinoff called Maude, that Arthur reached the heights of fame. She was nearly 50 at that point, but her star never faded after that.

Brian Dennehy

Brian Dennehy didn't set out to be an actor. After serving in the Marines and graduating from Columbia University in 1965 with a degree in history, he caught the theater bug and started working in regional theater. In 1983, after a few smaller roles, he scored his first big role as the sheriff in First Blood at age 45.

Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten is best known for playing the beloved Mrs. Landingham in The West Wing and like her character, her real-life story is truly inspiring. She spent the first half of her life first as a nurse, then as a stay-at-home mom, raising two kids. At the age of 42, after divorcing her husband, Joosten began working in local theater in her hometown of Chicago. At age 53, she moved to Orlando and became a performer at Disney World. Soon after she moved to Hollywood and started landing parts in TV. Amazing.

Kathy Bates

Though she made her film debut in 1970, it would be more than two decades later, after working in theater and in bit TV parts, before Kathy Bates would become a star. It was, of course, he now-legendary performance as Annie Wilkes in Misery that would vault her to stardom. Truly one of the best female villains in Hollywood history.

Bryan Cranston

Most people certainly think first of Breaking Bad when they hear the name Bryan Cranston and with good reason. Cranston was 52 when he first starred as Walter White. Of course, that wasn't his breakout role, which came eight years earlier when he starred as the dad in Malcolm In The Middle ]. While he has been acting in movies and TV for years, it was that role, after his 40th birthday, that really put him on the map.

Viola Davis

EGOT winner Viola Davis found success on the stage first, winning two Tonys before turning 40. In 2008, at age 43, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Doubt, but it was 2011's The Help, for which she was nominated for another Oscar, that vaulted her to superstardom.

Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield has one of the best stories of perseverance in Hollywood history. Though technically his career started in the 1930s, his stand-up was so bland that he eventually gave up and became a salesman. In the 1960s, he re-invented himself and his act and it was a hit, with some of the best one-liners of all time. Suddenly the guy that got no respect was getting respect by talking about how he got no respect! It wasn't until 1980, at almost age 60, that Dangerfield landed his first starring role in a movie, in Caddyshack.

John Mahoney

John Mahoney started his career as the "old guy" at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. After years as an English teacher, the future Frasier star gave up his career and started acting in his late 30s. By the late 80s, well into his 40s, he was landing roles in movies like Say Anything... and Moonstruck.

Jane Lynch

It's easy to say that Glee was the project that really made Jane Lynch famous, but she got her big break before that when she found her way into the Christopher Quest universe, where she was responsible for some of the wittiest one-liners in Best In Show.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais took a roundabout way to comedic fame. He started in music, moved to radio, and eventually found his way onto the popular British show The 11 O'Clock Show. It was in 2001, however, at age 40 when he co-created and starred in The Office. The rest is well-known history.

Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson took the very long trail to fame, and his story is inspirational. He struggled for years as an actor, first in New York, then later in Florida where he taught acting as well. He stsarted landing work in the theater in the late '90s, but got his big break in a guest spot on The Practice in 2001. Of course, he's best known for playing Ben on Lost.

Peter Dinklage

Though he found steady work in the early '00s, Peter Dinklage really shot to superstardom when he was cast as Tyrion Lannister in Game Of Thrones when he was 42. Today, that character is still, and will likely always be, one of the most beloved in TV history. Tyrion also happens to the character who appeared in the most episodes of Game of Thrones.

Larry David

Larry David's career had a lot of ups and downs in the early years. His first major gig was as a writer on SNL, though he didn't find much success there. At age 42, in 1989, he co-wrote a TV pilot for what became Seinfeld and his career took off. On screen, after playing a few minor roles onSeinfeld, he found even more fame with HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Melissa McCarthy

While she did have some big supporting roles in her 30s in Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?, Melissa McCarthy's career exploded when she started as Molly in Mike & Molly, in 2011, at age 41, she co-starred in Bridesmaids, where she completely stole the show, earning an Oscar nomination in the process.

Margo Martindale

Margo Martindale has become one of the best character actors in Hollywood, but it took her a long time to get there. She worked in community theater for years before she regularly started landing TV roles in her late 30s. After her 40th birthday, her career took off with dozens of memorable supporting roles in both film and TV.

Leslie Jones

Saturday Night Live is generally thought of as a young person's game. Most cast members join very early in their careers and by the time they are 30, they are moving on to other things. Leslie Jones is an exception to that. She didn't join the cast until she was nearly 50, but she made an immediate impact. Since leaving the show, she's continued to star in things like 2016's Ghostbusters and Coming 2 America in 2021.

Ty Burrell

Modern Family took the world by storm when it debuted in 2007 and one of the leads of the show, Ty Burrell, became a huge star. This came after years in Hollywood in supporting roles and, eventually, a starring role in the short-lived show Out of Practice. It was Modern Family that made him a household name.

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer started landing bit parts and supporting roles in the mid-90s, but it was 2011's The Help that put the Academy Award-winner on the map, after her 40th birthday. Not only did she win for her role in The Help, but she's been nominated for others as well, including for her work in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.

Patrick Stewart

While Patrick Stewart steadily found work in the theater and in smaller supporting roles in TV and film, it wasn't until he was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 that he became a household name. He was 47 at the time and he's only gotten more famous as he's gotten older.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton basically made his own fortune in Hollywood after years of smaller supporting roles, he wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade. The movie was a low-budget masterpiece and he's been starring in big roles and winning awards ever since.

Hannah Waddingham

Many actors get their start in the theater, just like Hannah Waddingham. With a fantastic singing voice and wonderful acting chops, it makes sense that this is where Waddingham would first find success. It would take a couple of decades for her to equal that on screen with roles in shows like Game of Thrones, and, of course, her greatest claim to fame, Ted Lasso.

Richard Farnsworth

Without a doubt, the late Richard Farnsworth had one of the most incredible careers in Hollywood history. He had uncredited roles in some of the most famous Hollywood epics including Gone With The Wind, The Ten Commandments, and Spartacus. He didn't earn his first credited role until he was 46 in a movie called Texas Across the River in 1966. Then in the 1970s, he became a well-known character actor in projects like Roots, The Natural, and Misery.

F. Murray Abraham

After scoring a handful of supporting roles in movies in the 1970s, F. Murray Abraham became a household name after his Oscar-winning performance as Antonio Salieri in 1984's Amadeus. It was truly a career-making role and one that is still loved today by fans.

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson was 41 when he starred in one of the greatest movies ever made, even if it's a movie you can only watch once. As Oscar Schindler in Schindler's List, Neeson immediately became world famous. It's safe to say that role will always keep him famous, too.

Lucille Ball

It's really hard to believe that Lucille Ball was over 40 when she became famous on I Love Lucy, but it's true. The comedian worked in show business for decades before she and her husband Desi Arnaz created the now-legendary TV show and her fame never faded for the rest of her life.

Tommy Lee Jones

Like a lot of actors from Texas, Tommy Lee Jones does things his way. The Harvard grad worked for decades, even winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy before he truly found fame and became a leading man in the 90s with movies like The Fugitive and Under Siege.

Ken Jeong

it's not often that someone switches careers from medicine to drama, but that's exacting what Ken Jeong did. Though he always had a love of acting, he originally pursued a more traditional career as a doctor, while acting and doing standup on the side. By the mid-2000s he was earning enough to leave medicine behind, and in 2011, at age 40, he broke out in a huge way in the Hangover.

We see it all the time, serious actors with some major dramatic skills tearing it up in lighter, more comedic roles. Actors who’ve made us cry in Best Picture winners have gone on to make us fall over with side-splitting laughs, which can sometimes be harder than you’d think.

In the past, we’ve talked about some of the great dramatic performances by comedians, but today we’re going to turn our attention to the other side of that coin and highlight 32 serious actors who crushed in in comedic roles.

Robert De Niro (Meet The Parents)

Robert De Niro, an Oscar-winning actor known for serious parts in some of Martin Scorsese’s best movies, including Raging Bull and Goodfellas, as well as his turn as a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, showed the world that he was also one of the funniest stars in Hollywood with his portrayal of the iron-fisted Jack Byrnes in Meet the Parents. The deadpan expressions, the playing on his gangster roles, and his chemistry with Ben Stiller make this an all-time classic.

George C. Scott (Dr. Stranglelove)

George C. Scott will always be remembered for his portrayal of U.S. General George S. Patton in Franklin J. Schaffner’s Patton, but the acclaimed actor also crushed it in a more comedic role a few years earlier. His take on General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove is nothing short of magnificent and hilarious as it gets. The satirical tone of this iconic anti-war film is biting, as is Scott’s legendary performance.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Along Came Polly)

Though we could have included Rusty from Twister or Brandt from The Big Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in Along Came Polly is just too good to overlook. Though he’s atrocious at basketball (and in most social situations), Sandy Lyle is a force of comedic nature. It’s crazy that Hoffman went from Cold Mountain to this 2004 rom-com to Capote in the span of three years.

Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder)

Tom Cruise steals the show in Tropic Thunder, which is no easy feat considering Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. sit atop the cast of this outrageous 2008 action comedy. But hey, Les Grossman, Cruise’s over-the-top and ill-tempered Hollywood exec is unforgettable in every single one of his scenes, especially whenever he dances.

Meryl Streep (Death Becomes Her)

Though not a slapstick or “laugh-a-minute” comedy, Death Becomes Her does feature some wild and hilariously comedic performances from the likes of Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, and Meryl Streep, who kills it with her portrayal of Madeline Ashton. The Oscar winner does get to show off her serious skills in the movie, but her character’s darkly humorous personality is worth a watch.

Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!)

It’s wild to think that Leslie Nielsen, an actor mostly remembered for spoof films, started out as a very serious dramatic actor. But that all changed with landmark comedies like Airplane!, where his deadpan humor and signature charm truly shined.

Kate Winslet (The Holiday)

Kate Winslet is known for dramatic movies like Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Revolutionary Road, but the talented dramatic actress was able to show off her comedy chops in The Holiday. This 2006 Nancy Meyers romantic comedy showed off a different side of Winslet, one we haven’t forgotten nearly 20 years later.

James Caan (Elf)

James Caan wasn’t really known for his comedy. Sure, his characters had some humorous lines in The Godfather and Thief, but drama was always his bag. And that’s what makes his performance in Elf so great. We weren’t used to seeing Caan share the screen with someone like Will Ferrell, and that juxtaposition of personalities made it so much fun to watch.

Morgan Freeman (Bruce Almighty)

Morgan Freeman will go down as one of the best dramatic actors of all time, and for good reason. His work in The Shawshank Redemption, Glory, and countless other movies is the stuff of legend. However, let’s not forget that he also put on one of the funniest performances when he played God in Bruce Almighty.

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

A little more than two decades after playing the vile Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List (and only a few years after portraying Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies), Ralph Fiennes proved he was a great comedic actor with his take on M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Equal parts hilarious and charming, this performance was a breath of fresh air.

Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon)

After playing more serious roles in films like The Color Purple, Witness, and Silverado, Danny Glover showed off his comedy skills in Richard Donner’s iconic buddy cop action film, Lethal Weapon. Though he was more straight-laced compared to Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs, Roger Murtaugh gave us some laughs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Kidergarten Cop)

Kindergarten cop isn’t just one of the funniest Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, it’s also one of his best. Featuring some of the actor’s most memorable one-liners, this 1990 action comedy showed that the Austrian bodybuilder-turned-actor was more than an ice-cold robot or trained killer.

Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber)

Two years after playing Colonel Joshua Chamberlain in Gettysburg, one of the best Civil War movies ever made, Jeff Daniels played a vastly different type of character in Dumb and Dumber. The obnoxious and absurdly dim-witted Harry Dunne would end up becoming one of the more dramatic actor’s most famous roles.

Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets)

Jack Nicholson, one of the most well-known dramatic actors of the 20th century, has popped up in comedies over the years. Perhaps the best of the bunch, As Good as It Gets earned the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Terms of Endearment star his third Oscar.

Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski)

Whenever the topic of the best Jeff Bridges movies comes up, it doesn’t take long for the conversation to turn to The Big Lebowski. Still considered to be one of his most iconic roles, the performance also showed that the largely dramatic actor could pull off an incredibly funny and beloved character.

Liam Neeson (Extras)

Liam Neeson is best known for his work in dramas like Schindler’s List and the Taken action movie franchise, but the decorated actor with that ice-cold delivery has shown off his funny side over the years. His attempt at improv on Extras is the stuff of legend, as is work in The Lego Movie.

George Clooney (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

George Clooney often rides the line between comedy and drama in the likes of the Ocean’s movies and several Coen Brothers projects, and one of the best examples of that is found in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a 2000 loose adaptation of The Odyssey. The scheming and conniving Ulysses Everett McGill is one of the all-time great movie characters.

Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)

The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, Midnight Cowboy, and All the President’s Men were just a few of the movies that showed off Dustin Hoffman’s incredible dramatic acting skills. It’s a similar story with Tootsie, the beloved 1982 comedy in which Hoffman plays an unlikeable and hirable actor who decides to dress like a woman to land a gig on a daytime soap opera.

Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire)

Cuba Gooding Jr. was out of this world in early 1990s dramas like Boyz n the Hood and A Few Good Men, but he was even better in Jerry Maguire as Tom Cruise’s titular character’s temperamental and needy client Rod Tidwell. The over-the-top performance was hilarious beyond belief.

Timothy Dalton (Hot Fuzz)

Timothy Dalton, an actor best known for playing James Bond and showing up in adaptations of Jane Eyre, got to show off his comedy chops in Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright’s satirical action comedy. His take on Simon Skinner is just as great all these years later.

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up with Martin Scorsese for the fifth time in 2013 to make The Wolf of Wall Street. While previous collaborations like Gangs of New York and The Departed were far more dramatic, this hopped-up and raucous biopic allowed the actor to be outrageously funny on screen, and it paid off.

Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa)

Up until starring in Bad Santa, Billy Bob Thornton was mostly known for dramatic roles in films like Monster’s Ball and Sling Blade, but this 2003 R-rated comedy changed all of that. Over the line, vulgar, and one of the funniest performances of the 2000s, Thornton’s take on a mall Santa was an instant classic.

Brad Pitt (Burn After Reading)

Burn After Reading isn’t the best Coen Brothers movie, but it does feature one of Brad Pitt’s funniest performances. Chad Feldheimer, Linda Litzke’s (Frances McDormand) lovable yet moronic coworker is just so silly, so memorable, and so dumb. You just can’t help but love him.

Michael Caine (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

On top of being an actor who’s appeared in the most Christopher Nolan movies, Michael Caine is also one of the all-time greats of screen and stage, with dozens of iconic films to his name. And while he’s mostly known for his dramatic work, his portrayal of the dastardly Lawrence Jamieson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is so dang good.

Matt Damon (Dogma)

Long before he showed up as an actor playing Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, Matt Damon did it for real in Kevin Smith’s 1999 comedy, Dogma. Sandwiched between Rounders and The Talented Mr. Ripley, the actor’s portrayal of a fallen angel banished to Wisconsin was great and showed a funnier side.

Samuel L. Jackson (The Other Guys)

Samuel L. Jackson in The Other Guys is on a whole other level and is funnier than anything else the actor has done over the years. Sure, Pulp Fiction and Jurassic Park are better movies, but his short yet memorable performance as a gung-ho cop who throws caution (and himself) into the win is comedy cold.

Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest)

Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Alexander Dane, a Shakespearean actor fed up with life and his career direction in Galaxy Quest, is so funny yet so heartbreaking. The way the Die Hard actor (who was also classically trained) finds the balance between comedy and tragedy is perfection.

Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys)

Russell Crowe made a career out of giving commanding, and largely dramatic, performances in everything from Romper Stomper to Gladiator, so it was great to see him play a more comedic role in The Nice Guys. This 2016 Shane Black film also starring Ryan Gosling, felt like a throwback to buddy action movies of yesteryear, and allowed Crowe to try a different approach to character-driven stories.

Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride)

Tony and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin has given incredible dramatic performances in movies like Yentl and shows like Homeland, but he’s probably best known for his portrayal of Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. The skill with a sword, the dashing good looks, and a killer backstory make this not only a great cinematic character but also a hilarious icon of the fantasy genre.

Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda)

Kevin Kline is great in just about everything (especially The Big Chill and Dave), and that includes some great comedies. One of the best featuring a serious and dramatic actor’s work is A Fish Called Wanda. The despicable and charismatic Otto West steals the show whenever on screen.

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Though not the most standard comedy of the past few years, The Big Short is funny in a frightening and thrilling kind of way. Adam McKay’s biographical crime dramedy about the events that led to the 2007 housing market crash and subsequent economic crisis does feature one of Christian Bale’s most interesting and hilarious performances with his take on hedge fund manager Michael Burry. Not a totally likable guy, but a great character without a doubt.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Thor: Ragnarok is still considered one of the best Marvel movies years after its release, and that’s mostly because of Chris Hemsworth’s new and improved portrayal of the “God of Thunder.” While the character was more serious in the first two movies (and two Avengers films), the more light-hearted and silly superhero was a comedy tour de force.

The list of Taylor Sheridan’s shows feels like it's neverending, and the so the Rolodex of famous actors he’s also gotten into said series also feels infinite. From Kevin Costner’s role as John Dutton in the game-changing Yellowstone to Zoë Saldaña and Jeremy Renner’s turns in shows from Sheridan that aren’t about the Dutton family, the group of actors he’s gathered for these projects is staggering. 

Kevin Costner - Yellowstone 

Kevin Costner is kind of the man who started it all. At the time, he was the most famous person in the Yellowstone cast, and for five seasons he played the patriarch of the modern Dutton family, John Dutton. While he did leave Taylor Sheridan’s flagship western after the first half of Season 5, there’s no denying how much this character gave to the show and his career. 

Sam Elliott - 1883 

Some of Sam Elliott’s best movies, like Tombstone, are Westerns. And while Elliott has dabbled in television, there’s no doubt 1883 is a standout moment in his career. He joined Sheridan’s show as Shea Brennan, a Union Civil War veteran who agrees to take a group of immigrants West. He leads the group of pioneers on a journey from Texas to Montana, and Elliott gives a standout performance as the no-nonsense yet emotionally complex leader of the caravan. 

Harrison Ford - 1923 

Harrison Ford had never led a TV show until 2022 when he starred in 1923 as Jacob Dutton. While he’s known and beloved for playing Indiana Jones and Han Solo in film franchises, the Yellowstone prequel series was a fantastic turn in his career as he reunited with Helen Mirren, and led the spectacular cast of 1923. 

Zoë Saldaña - Lioness 

There are so many actors on this list who we likely never thought we’d see leading a TV series because they’re big movie stars. Well, if you’ve seen the Avatar movies or the Marvel movies in order, you’re aware that Zoë Saldaña has been busy for years between those and other projects. However, she joined the cast of Lioness in 2023 Joe, a CIA operative. 

Helen Mirren -1923 

Cara Dutton is one of the leaders of the Dutton household, and Helen Mirren plays her perfectly. She’s a confident Irish woman who knows how to run her household, and she and her husband Jacob are a perfect pair. Part of the reason why is Mirren and Harrison Ford are an excellent couple is they came back together for this project after working together on The Mosquito Coast in 1986. 

Tim McGraw - 1883 

When you think of Tim McGraw, country music is likely the first thing that comes to mind. However, he’s also a great actor, and 1883 proved that as he led the series as James Dutton, the man who moved his family from Tennessee to Montana to the ranch that is known today as The Yellowstone. McGraw played the character – alongside his wife Faith Hill who plays Margaret Dutton – for the first time in Yellowstone, and then after that, he signed on to make this miniseries about the Dutton’s big move. 

Kelly Reilly -Yellowstone 

Kelly Reilly was an established character actor before this, but Yellowstone made her a star. Her turn as Beth Dutton is magnificent, and watching her spar with Wes Bentley’s Jamie Dutton and fall in love with Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler are two of the reasons why she’s one of the major highlights of Taylor Sheridan’s flagship series. 

Billy Bob Thornton- 1883 

If you want to see the power of Taylor Sheridan and his casts, look no further than the fact that he got Billy Bob Thornton to make a cameo as Marshal Jim Courtright in Episode 2 of 1883. After that, he went on to sign up to lead Sheridan’s show Landman. However, the television journey within this Paramount universe began on the Yellowstone prequel.  

Jeremy Renner - Mayor Of Kingstown 

After starring in Taylor Sheridan’s film Wind River, Jeremy Renner collaborated with him again by joining the cast of his and Hugh Dillon’s show Mayor of Kingstown. The Avengers actor plays the titular Mayor, Mike McLusky, and he helps broker power between law enforcement, the prison and the power players in the town.  

Cole Hauser - Yellowstone 

Rip Wheeler was branded with the Y when he was young, and he’s given it to many ranch hands who live and work on the Yellowstone. While he’s not a Dutton by blood (though he is by law since he married Beth), he’s arguably one of the most loyal members of the family. Cole Hauser is the man behind this beloved character. While he had roles in big movies like Good Will Hunting, Dazed and Confused and 2 Fast 2 Furious, this part is arguably what made him a star.  

Faith Hill - 1883 

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have been married since 1996, and in 1883 they played the married couple Margaret and James Dutton. Hill is best known for her music and she had a few minor acting roles earlier in her career. However, this Yellowstone prequel was her first leading role, and she killed it as the surefire, tough and loving pioneer and mother.  

Tom Hanks - 1883 

You’ll probably do a double take when you see Tom Hanks as General George Meade in Episode 2 of 1883. The iconic actor appeared in a flashback that showed Tim McGraw’s character fighting in the Civil War. While we know him for starring in massive movies like Saving Private Ryan and Sleepless in Seattle, in this Taylor Sheridan show, he played a small yet impactful part in this sweeping story.  

David Oyelowo - Lawmen: Bass Reeves 

From The Butler and Selma, David Oyelowo is a formidable actor known best for his roles in these historic dramas. In 2023, he joined Sheridan’s series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, to play the titular man who was the first Black deputy U.S. Marshall. 

Wes Bentley - Yellowstone 

Jamie Dutton is a fascinating character. He’s not a cowboy like his brothers, and he’s always butting heads with his sister Beth. His story is complex and driven by his confusion about his place in his family. Wes Bentley plays this complex and often villainous character so well, and it’s a great addition to his already impressive career that includes films like American Beauty and The Hunger Games.  

Rita Wilson - 1883 

In Episode 6 of 1883, Rita Wilson appears to play a shop owner named Carol. Both she and her husband Tom Hanks had small cameos in this Yellowstone miniseries, and it goes to show how many incredibly famous and talented actors and singers will show up for these shows, even for a small part. 

Shea Whigham - Lawmen: Bass Reeves 

Colonel George Reeves was the Confederate army leader who cheated Bass Reeves out of his freedom. He’s played by Shea Whigham, a fantastic character actor who is known for his roles in TV shows like Perry Mason, Boardwalk Empire and more. It’s also worth mentioning that Lawmen isn’t the first time he’s worked with Sheridan as he had a role in Sicario: Day of the Soldado, which the Yellowstone creator wrote. 

Luke Grimes - Yellowstone 

Much like his on-screen siblings played by Kelly Reilly and Wes Bentley, Luke Grimes had a solid career before Yellowstone. However, his turn as Kayce Dutton made him a household name. Also, on top of his successful acting career, which involves this massive modern Western, he’s a country singer, and his music has been featured in Taylor Sheridan’s show.  

Nicole Kidman - Lioness 

Nicole Kidman plays CIA senior supervisor Kaitlyn Meade in Lioness. Before this, she made an impact in the TV space through the HBO hit Big Little Lies. She also starred in the shows The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers before signing on to be part of Taylor Sheridan’s political thriller that airs on Paramount+. 

Sylvester Stallone - Tulsa King 

Other than a few cameos and guest spots here and there, Sylvester Stallone hasn’t really done TV in a big way. However, that changed when he signed on to play Dwight "The General" Manfredi in Taylor Sheridan’s gangster drama Tulsa King. 

Will Patton - Yellowstone 

If you haven’t watched Yellowstone, be warned, there’s a major spoiler ahead! You’ve been warned.

One of the big reveals in Yellowstone came when Jamie found out that John Dutton wasn’t his biological father, and he was adopted. In Seasons 3 and 4, Wes Bentley’s character reconnected with his birth father, Garrett Randall, and he’s played by Will Patton, who is also known for movies like Remember the Titans and Armageddon.  

Morgan Freeman - Lioness 

Of course, Morgan Freeman plays a powerful character in Lioness. The actor with the most illustrious career and seriously iconic voice, joined the Taylor Sheridan show to play Secretary of State Edwin Mullins. 

Dennis Quaid - Lawmen: Bass Reeves 

In Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Dennis Quaid plays Sherrill Lynn. He is one of the series regulars, and like the titular character, he’s a deputy U.S. Marshall. 

Josh Holloway - Yellowstone 

Typically, in a Yellowstone show, one of the Dutton's adversaries is some sort of outsider who is trying to take their land. In Season 3, that guy was named Roarke, and Lost’s Josh Holloway played him. 

Aidan Gillen - Mayor Of Kingstown 

You know and likely love to hate Aidan Gillen as Littlefinger in Game of Thrones. I guarantee you’ll also know and love to hate him as the evil Milo in Mayor of Kingstown too. 

Michael Kelly - Lioness 

Michael Kelly is well known for his roles in action-packed and political thrillers like House of Cards and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. So, his joining Lioness to play the CIA’s deputy director Byron Westfield feels very fitting.  

Donald Sutherland - Lawmen: Bass Reeves 

The late great Donald Sutherland’s final role was as Judge Parker in Lawmen: Bass Reeves. From M*A*S*H to The Hunger Games to Pride and Prejudice, and so much more, his career was truly legendary and he capped it off with this Taylor Sheridan show. 

Josh Lucas - Yellowstone 

When you think of John Dutton, Kevin Costner is understandably probably the first person you think of. However, he’s not the only actor who plays the Yellowstone’s patriarch. In flashbacks, he’s portrayed by Josh Lucas, an actor who is also known for his parts in films like Sweet Home Alabama and Ford v. Ferrari. 

Graham Greene - 1883 

In the finale of 1883, Graham Greene plays Spotted Eagle, a Native American leader who helps guide James Dutton toward what will become his home in Montana. Before this, Greene worked with Sheridan on the film Wind River, and he has a history with other members of the Yellowstone cast as he performed alongside Kevin Costner on Dances with Wolves. 

Jacki Weaver - Yellowstone 

Jacki Weaver – an actress known for her roles in films like Silver Linings Playbook and Animal Kingdom – joined Yellowstone in Season 4 as Caroline Warner. She’s one of the folks who works at Market Equities, and she’s trying to obtain part of the Dutton’s ranch to build an airport.

Jerome Flynn -1923 

Jerome Flynn is best known for playing Bronn – a killer and cynical mercenary – on Game of Thrones. In 1923, he plays Banner Creighton, a rancher who gets into a partnership with a businessman who is trying to take the Dutton’s ranch. 

Andrea Savage - Tulsa King 

You likely know Andrea Savage as a comedic actress because of her roles in shows like I’m Sorry, Episodes and Veep. However, she turned into the dramatic genre and showed off a different side of her range by playing Stacy Beale in Tulsa King. 

Neal McDonough - Yellowstone

You can always count on Neal McDonough to play a really good bad guy. He did it in DC’s Arrowverse as Damien Darhk. He did it in Justified as Robert Quarles. Of course, he did it in Yellowstone too, as he played one of Season 2’s antagonists, Malcolm Beck. 

Overall, the list of performers who have worked on one of Taylor Sheridan’s many shows is overwhelming and growing. From A-listers to legendary character actors, many have said yes to working on these series, and that will likely keep happening as the super producer and writer continues to create. 

Acting and directing are two very different skills, and for someone to be able to do both is a mark of a hard-working and talented person. It doesn't always work out for actors, but it's remarkable how often it does. Here are 32 such examples of great actors who became great directors as well. 

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood's career has lasted an unbelievable eight decades. He started humbling with small roles in the '50s and as the decades have gone on, he's only gotten bigger and bigger. After directing his first movie, 1971's Play Misty for Me, he's gone on to helm a remarkable 39 more and has won 2 Best Director Oscars, for 1993's Unforgiven and 2005's Million Dollar Baby.

Ron Howard

Ron Howard has been in the lives and living rooms of Americans since he was just a kid as an actor on The Andy Griffith Show. He went on to star in Happy Days in the 1970s before directing his first low-budget film, Grand Theft Auto, in 1977. He's since gone on to direct such classics as Splash, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and many others. 

Bradley Cooper

If the start of Bradley Cooper's directing career is any indication, you can expect huge things. So far, the actor-turned-director has only helmed two movies, A Star Is Born and Maestro and both have been nominated for Best Picture Oscars. Not a shabby record. 

Penny Marshall

Penny Marshall got her first big break on the sitcom The Odd Couple but became a household name as Lavern in Lavern & Shirley. She didn't stay in TV though, instead, she started directing and made two of the most beloved Gen X movies of all time, Big and A League of Their Own. 

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck might not have been the first actor you picked to become a director, but his stellar career as an actor is matched by his work as a director. In fact, though he's never won an acting Oscar (something that should be remedied), he did win Best Director for Argo. 

Robert Redford

By the time Robert Redford directed his first movie, Ordinary People, in 1980, he was already one of the most legendary film stars ever. The second half of his career is as known for his directing as it is for his acting, with movies like Quiz Show and A River Runs Through It.

Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau's acting career started humbling with supporting roles in movies like Rudy and PCU. After he wrote and starred in Swingers, his star shined a little brighter. That was only the beginning though. Favreau has the honor of directing the movie that launched the most successful film franchise of all time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Iron Man and its sequel. He's since moved on to Disney live-action remakes with The Lion King and The Jungle Book. Oh, and he also directed one of the most beloved holiday movies ever with. Elf.

Mel Gibson

The controversial career of Mel Gibson began with a small movie that made huge waves in his native Australia. Mad Max made him famous and by the late late-'80s, he was one of the biggest stars in the world. He then moved into directing and reached his pinnacle early with Braveheart for which he won Best Director. 

Richard Attenborough

As an actor, Richard Attenborough starred in massive hits across generations with movies like The Great Escape and Jurassic Park. As a director, he helmed some of the best biopics of all time, like Gandhi, A Cry Freedom, and Chaplin as well a the legendary war flick, A Bridge Too Far. 

Regina King

Regina King's directorial career is only getting started, but judging by her first movie, One Night In Miami, the future is bright. So far, the Academy Award-winning actress has mostly directed TV shows, but you can be sure more films will be coming her way.

Denzel Washington

What can we say about Denzel Washington that hasn't already been said? He's a living legend at this point, as a multiple Oscar winner and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He's also one heck of a director with movies like Fences and The Great Debaters.

John Krasinski

John Krasinski became part of our collective family as Jim on The Office. Who would have thought from that role, his career in Hollywood would reach the point that he is a major power player? Now that he's moved into directing, the sky is truly the limit. The first movie Krasinski directed, The Hollars, made for a humble beginning, but his second, A Quiet Place established him as a force to reckon with and it's since become a franchise.

Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks might not have been an actor you'd have guessed would go into directing, like others on this list, but she has in a big way. She has shown she can direct blockbusters like Pitch Perfect 2 and indie darlings like that one about the bear who indulges in some, uh, white powder he finds, and goes on a rampage.

Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig is quickly becoming a voice of a generation. Her direction and writing of Barbie has been praised far and wide for its snappy dialog and heartfelt message. Gerwig's acting career started in the mid-'00s when she was mostly in smaller, supporting roles. Since moving into directing, she's become a huge star.

Jordan Peele

Key & Peele was a huge hit for Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, and made them both stars. No one expected Peele to turn to directing horror movies, but that's exactly what he did and we should all be grateful for it. With massive hits like Get Out, Nope, and Us, the future is bright for Peele and for all of us too, who will get to watch his work.

Rob Reiner

Though he had a leg up coming from a Hollywood family, Rob Reiner has staked out a claim all his own in the entertainment business. First as an actor on the hit show All in the Family, then as the director of some of the most loved movies of all time. Starting with his first movie, This is Spinal Tap, and running through the '80s and early '90s, he had an unbelievable run that included The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, and Misery. Wow!

George Clooney

Not only is George Clooney one of the most bankable movie stars ever, he's also a fantastic director. His acting career is legendary and his directing career, while not quite at the level of his acting, is still fantastic. He's directed TV (Catch-22) and movies (The Boys In The Boat, The Midnight Sky, Good Night, and Good Luck, among others) and you can be sure there will be more from him.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie's directing career hasn't always gotten the best reviews, but I'd say her movies are very underrated. The talented actress has an eye for behind the camera as well, and movies like Unbroken and First They Killed My Father are powerful movies.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton's acting career came on as a slow burn to fame, but his directing career started with a band. His first film was a masterpiece called Sling Blade. he followed that up with the underrated All The Pretty Horse and a few others, though his pace has slowed over the last couple of decades. Let's hope he finds that directing bug again. 

Ben Stiller

There was a time in the '90s and '00s when it seemed like Ben Stiller was in every movie released. Not only was he working hard in front of the camera, he was killing it behind the camera as well. Starting really with Reality Bites, and moving on to great movies like the controversial but hilarious Tropic Thunder, and the Zoolander movies. 

Jodie Foster

The great Jodie Foster has been an acclaimed actor and star since her teenage years and of course, that talent has translated to directing. Though lately she's done mostly TV work like directing episodes of Black Mirror and Orange is the New Black, she's done a few movies too, like Little Man Tate and Money Monster.

Kevin Costner

In addition to being one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Kevin Costner has never shied away from making epic films. Though he's only directed four movies in his career, they have all been big films. Starting with Dances With Wolves in 1990, he's since directed The Postman, Open Range, and 2024's Horizon: An American Saga.

Tim Robbins

The directing bug caught Tim Robbins in the early '90s and he directed a couple of great movies with Bob Roberts and Dead Man Walking. He's directed a smattering of movies and TV shows more recently, but he's mostly stuck to acting over the last few years. 

Sean Penn

Since the early 1980s, Sean Penn has been wowing moviegoers with his impressive acting chops and diversity. In the '90s he dipped his toe into directing with his first film, The Indian Runner and has directed a good handful of movies since, with his best being Into The Wild in 2007. 

Zach Braff

Acting-wise Zach Braff's big break came as a regular cast member of the hit sitcom Scrubs. As a directed, he burst onto the scene with his very first movie, Garden State in 2004. He's continued directing here and there over the last 20 years, including the great movie about getting older, Going In Style, and a few others, in addition to some TV work. 

Warren Beatty

In the 1970s, there was no bigger movie star than Warren Beatty. By the end of the decade, he had moved into directing as well, starting with 1978's Heaven Can Wait and continuing the '80s and '90s with acclaimed movies like Red and maybe his most remembered, Dick Tracy in 1990.

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton is a force of nature. For decades she's been one of the best and most popular actresses in Hollywood, and though she's only dipped her toes into directing, mostly in TV, she's on this list for one important reason. Keaton directed the music video for "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" by Belinda Carlisle and that is a stone-cold Gen X classic. 

Kenneth Branagh

Kenneth Branagh might be as well known for his directing as he is for his acting, and that's really saying something. Not only has he directed some of the best Shakespeare adaptions for the silver screen, but more recently he's been killing it with his Agatha Christie adaptations. 

Leonard Nimoy

Appropriately, Leonard Nimoy's first foray into feature film direction came in the Star Trek franchise when he directed both Star Trek III: The Search For Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Outside of the iconic franchise he helped make famous he also directed the beloved Three Men and a Baby. 

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone has always been a self-starter. His work to get the original Rocky made is legendary and after it made him a huge star, he wasted no time getting into directing, starting with Rocky II and adding Rocky III, Rocky IV, and 2006's Rocky Balboa as well. Of course, he's also directed in two other franchises he was at the center of with 2008's Rambo and the first Expendable movie. 

Helen Hunt

This one might surprise you, but Helen Hunt has had an impressive career as a director. Most of her work has been on television on shows varying from her own Mad About You and This Is Us. She also has two feature films under her belt with 2007's Then She Found Me and 2014's Ride. 

Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton is seemingly everywhere these days, popping up in all kinds of movies and TV shows from Star Wars stuff to Dark Matter. He's also started directing, but his output is limited, with 2015's underrated The Gift and 2018 Boy Erased. Let's hope he finds more time to direct in his busy schedule. 

We’ve been hearing about it for years now, but Landman, Taylor Sheridan’s latest Paramount+ original series is finally coming to one of the best streaming services around. In a couple of months, the Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm-led series about the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas will introduce us to all kinds of characters and situations in the lucrative yet dangerous oil fields. 

But before that happens, we’ve put together a guide that breaks down everything you need to know about the show including the cast, trailer, and exactly when the Landman premiere date lands on the 2024 TV schedule.  

What Is The Landman Premiere Date?

Anyone with a Paramount+ subscription will be able to watch Landman when it premieres on Sunday, November 17, 2024. This is just one of the major shows coming to the popular streaming service this fall, as Tulsa King Season 2 is slated to kick off in September.

What Is Landman About?

Taylor Sheridan has a knack for developing ambitious projects that deal with practically every aspect of their respective settings, and it sounds like that trend won’t be stopping with Landman. Paramount+ has described the series as a modern-day saga about those seeking fortune in West Texas. Focusing on both the blue-collar roughnecks who work the oil fields and the billionaires fueling the operations, this upstairs/downstairs story will surely be a complex drama focusing on the interconnected nature of the industry and those in it.

The Landman Cast

When Landman premieres it will bring with it a talented cast of actors led by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton and Golden Globe winner Jon Hamm. Let’s take a look at the main actors and the characters they’ll be playing in this West Texas drama series.

Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris

Billy Bob Thornton has been attached to star in Landman since February 2022, when Paramount+ announced that the critically acclaimed actor and filmmaker would be taking on the role of Tommy Norris, a crisis manager working in the Texas oil industry. This will be the latest in a line of TV appearances for him that includes shows like Fargo, 1883, and Goliath.

Jon Hamm as Monty Miller

Jon Hamm, who has found great small-screen success on shows like Mad Men and Fargo, will be taking on the role of Monty Miller, a Texas oil industry titan. Paramount+ has announced that Monty and Tommy go way back, both personally and professionally.

Demi Moore as Cami Miller

Demi Moore will be showing up as Cami Miller, a character described by Paramount+ as Monty’s wife and Tommy’s longtime friend. Landman is Moore’s second TV project of the year, as she previously portrayed Ann Woodward on FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.

Andy Garcia as Galino

In May 2024, Deadline reported that Andy Garcia would be joining the Landman cast as Galino, a character described as capable, powerful, and practical. How he fits into the picture is not yet known.

Ali Larter as Angela Norris

Ali Larter will be taking on the role of Angela Norris, Tommy’s wife, Paramount+ has announced. Over the years, Larter has appeared on shows like The Rookie, Creepshow, and Heroes.

Michael Pena as Armando

Michael Pena will be showing up as a guest star when he takes on the role of Armando, according to EW. Pena’s no stranger to the small screen, as he’s appeared on shows like Jack Ryan, Narcos: Mexico, and The Shield.

Michelle Randolph as Ainsley Norris

In May 2023, Deadline announced that Michelle Randolph, best known for portraying Elizabeth Strafford on 1923, had joined the cast as Thornton’s on-screen daughter, Ainsley Norris.

Jacob Lofland as Cooper Norris

Jacob Lofland was also revealed as a member of the Landman cast by Deadline in May 2023. Lofland previously landed roles on The Son and Justified, and is set to appear in Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux.

Kayla Wallace as Rebecca Savage

In January 2024, Deadline revealed that Kayla Wallace and a number of other actors had been added to the Landman supporting cast. Wallace, who got engaged to her When Calls the Heart co-star in late 2022, has appeared on shows like The Good Doctor and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist over the years.

James Jordan as Dale Bradley

James Jordan, who has worked with Taylor Sheridan extensively in the past, was also added to the Landman cast in January 2024. He’ll be taking on the role of a petroleum engineer by the name of Dale Bradley.

Mark Collie as Sheriff Joeberg

Country music singer Mark Collie will show up in Landman as Sheriff Joeberg, a West Texas official watching over the boomtown.

Paulina Chávez as Ariana

Paulina Chávez, best known for her work on Fate: The Winx Saga, will also appear on Landman and will play the role of a young mother named Ariana.

The Landman Trailer

In September 2024, Paramount+ gave us our first proper look at Landman with the show’s explosive trailer. The nearly two-minute-long trailer introduces several of the major players with a major focus on the tense working relationship shared by Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris and Jon Hamm’s Monty Miller. But that isn’t all, as you can see below:

Based on what we’ve seen so far, Landman feels like a combination of Yellowstone, Friday Night Lights, and There Will Be Blood, which has us all the more excited to see how this epic drama series set in West Texas unfolds this fall. Even if Paramount+ doesn’t release another trailer, this clip sets the stage and stakes extremely well.

The Series Is Inspired By Texas Monthly’s Boomtown Podcast

In recent years, we’ve started to see TV shows based on podcasts become increasingly popular, with famous actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Hart even teaming up for a new true crime series on Peacock. Well, you can add Landman to that list, as the upcoming Paramount+ series is inspired by Texas Monthly’s Boomtown podcast.

Upon premiering in December 2019, the Christian Wallace-hosted podcast spent 11 episodes (plus two bonus installments) exploring how the oil industry brought both great fortune and tremendous pain to the one-time quiet Permian Basin in West Texas. The series also explored the short-term and long-term effects of the industry on the people, economy, politics, and climate of the boomtown.

How Many Episodes Are There In Landman?

Ten-episode seasons seem to be the golden number for TV dramas, and that’ll be the case for Landman once it premieres this fall. Paramount+ has announced that the first two episodes will premiere back-to-back on November 17, 2024, with single episodes becoming available each Sunday until the season concludes in January 2025. 

What Is The Landman Rating?

With a show about roughnecks and oil executives living dangerous lives in a West Texas boomtown, we can expect some intense violence, drama, and language before everything is said and done. At the start of the Landman trailer, before we see people set ablaze in a burning oil field, drinking, or anything of the sort, the TV-MA rating flashes across the screen, letting us know what’s to come.

This shouldn’t be all that surprising considering Yellowstone, which has its brutal moments, has been TV-MA since its 2018 debut, and a lot of Taylor Sheridan’s movies have been released with R ratings. How far Sheridan and company push things this time around, however, is anybody’s guess.

Expect to hear much more about Landman and Sheridan’s other upcoming projects in the future. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s updated 2025 TV schedule for all the latest on the new and returning shows coming out next year.

These days, when I think of The Big Bang Theory cast I think of a family of people who spent nearly a decade together on set filming and off set doing interviews and other promotions before the show hit the TV schedule each fall. You’d doubtless have to get to know one another pretty well over that long of a period of time, but early on the cast were strangers to one another. Or nearly strangers, as Simon Helberg and Kaley Cuoco were loosely connected before the sitcom kicked off, and they can thank John Ritter for the honor.

In fact, there's a lot of backstory to how much John Ritter impacted the CBS show, even though the first episode aired in 2007, just over four years after his death. 

Simon Helberg And Kaley Cuoco Both Have A Connection To John Ritter

Kaley Cuoco was a pretty notable star before she landed the role of Penny on the Chuck Lorre sitcom, though it is worth pointing out she wasn’t the actress to originally book the gig in The Big Bang Theory pilot. Previously, she’d worked with John Ritter on 8 Simple Rules, originally titled 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenaged Daughter. The show had been a hit for ABC in Season 1 when Ritter suddenly died in real life after an aortic dissection; it lasted two more seasons without its patriarch. 

Meanwhile, in The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, we learned that Helberg had a personal connection to Ritter as well. He was friends with Jason Ritter –whom you might also know from roles in Parenthood, A Million Little Things, Another Period, and Netflix’s Raising Dion, as well as voice work in Gravity Falls. 

The two were pals from early on and even went to college together; as such Ritter had been a part of Helberg’s life before his untimely passing. It was a connection that meant he had met Cuoco previously as well. He said in the book:  

Intriguingly, Simon Helberg would later direct his buddy in We’ll Never Have Paris, and the two worked together in I Am I, as well. 

As for Helberg and Cuoco? The actress admitted it was the Howard actor who kept her in stitches while filming the sitcom together, mentioning, “Simon is, I think, one of the funniest people I have ever met.” It does make you realize that Hollywood is a very small place. Speaking of this concept...

Why It Was So Great When Billy Bob Thornton Appeared On Big Bang

The Big Bang Theory’s cameos were myriad, and include major figures from many different arenas. Stephen Hawking guest starred. Carrie Fisher and James Earl Jones guest starred. If you haven't visited all of these episodes with a Max subscription yet, the cameo that really spoke to Kaley Cuoco was the time Billy Bob Thornton showed up. 

In 2014, Billy Bob Thornton appeared on the series as Oliver Lorvis, who mistakenly thought Penny was interested in him after she winked at him and then touched his arm “for two Mississippis” during a sales call. (Penny and Leonard were already a thing at that point.) He also happened to be a big fan of celebrities, and eventually invited the gang to his place to show off his memorabilia collection. Shenanigans ensued, and the Penny actress recalled how great it was to have Thornton on set.

But it wasn’t just because Oliver Lorvis was such a unique character. In real life, Billy Bob Thornton had a connection to John, as well. The two had famously worked early on in Hearts Afire and later met again on the big screen with the underrated Bad Santa; in fact Bad Santa 2 was dedicated to Bernie Mac and Ritter. Cuoco also spoke about the guest stint, noting: 

Other TV personalities like Tom Bergeron have spoken about their connection to Ritter before. But not everyone who was impacted by Ritter also got to have a moment with The Big Bang star on her show.

A few months ago, Cuoco herself shared a post revealing how she was keeping her 8 Simple Rules dad’s memory alive. From these additional memories on set, it sounds as if Mr. Ritter is still managing to connect people many years after his passing. Not a bad mark to have left on the world. 

For quite some time, there have been actors who not only bring movies to life by acting on the big screen but also play a major role in crafting the stories. Over the years, multiple Best Picture winners have been written by talented thespians, who also happen to be accomplished wordsmiths. From stars who've pieced together films that would earn them their first Academy Award nominations to those penning passion projects, here are 32 successful actors who are also hit screenwriters.

Ben Affleck

In early 1998, Ben Affleck became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood after he and Matt Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. The movie made the longtime friends -- who didn't always work together -- into overnight sensations. Since then, he’s written four additional films: Gone Baby Gone, Live by Night, The Town and The Last Duel, which he co-wrote with Damon.

Matt Damon

As mentioned, Matt Damon took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998. The movie, of course, also featured his Academy Award-worthy performance as a troubled young genius. Since then, he’s co-written two additional Gus Van Sant-directed scripts – Gerry in 2002, Promised Land in 2012 – as well as the Ridley Scott historical epic, The Last Duel, which he penned with Ben Affleck.

Jordan Peele

After finding success with Key & Peele, Jordan Peele turned to more behind-the-scenes work, serving as both a director and screenwriter. From his 2016 comedy, Keanu to 2022’s Nope and Wendell & Wild, Peele has cemented his legacy as one of the strongest voices in Hollywood. He won an Oscar for his Get Out screenplay in 2018 and produced two of the best horror movies in recent memory: Us and Candyman.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey will forever be remembered as one of the best Saturday Night Live cast members, and that experience allowed her to fine-tune her writing and acting skills. In addition to starring in movies like Baby Mama, Date Night and Muppets Most Wanted, Fey famously wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls, which is one of the best movies of the 2000s.

Sylvester Stallone

A handful of the best action movies of all time were written by none other than Sylvester Stallone, who has flexed his muscles in front of the camera and behind the scenes. All of the Rocky films (as well as Creed II) were written by Stallone, as were the Rambo flicks and pretty much most of his best big-screen ventures.

George Clooney

George Clooney has plenty of notable movies like Ocean’s Eleven, Syriana, Michael Clayton and even the over-the-top Batman & Robin. But the Academy Award-winning actor has also penned quite a few screenplays over the years, including the ones for Good Night, and Good Luck, The Ides of March, Leatherheads, The Monuments Men and Suburbicon.

Kristen Wiig

Two of the funniest movies of the past decade-and-a-half – Bridesmaids and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar – not only featured the Saturday Night Live legend Kristen Wiig's on-screen talents, they were also co-written by the actress. And penning those screenplays alongside her was co-star Annie Mumolo.

Tyler Perry

In addition to being a committed philanthropist and all-around great guy, Tyler Perry is also an incredibly successful actor, movie producer, and screenwriter. Throughout his career, Perry has written multiple entries in the Madea film franchise as well as other films like A Jazzman’s Blues, Acrimony, and Why Did I Get Married?, to name a few.

Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig has become famous for her Barbie screenplay (which was co-written by Noah Baumbach), but that's only one of the great scripts written by the talented actress. In addition to starring in several dozen movies over the years, Gerwig also penned modern gems like Frances Ha, Lady Bird, Mistress America and Little Women.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

In addition to being a talented actress with multiple scene-stealing performances in movies like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Solo: A Star Wars Story, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a talented writer. She created and penned the shows Fleabag and Killing Eve and received a partial writing credit for her contributions on No Time to Die.

Justin Theroux

Throughout his career, Justin Theroux has starred in movies like Mulholland Drive, Miami Vice and American Psycho. However, he also has some impressive screenwriting credits to his name. With work on Iron Man 2, Tropic Thunder, Rock of Ages and Zoolander 2, he has quite the body of work.

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson is an actress with a great filmography, through which she's worked both in front of and behind the camera. In fact, Thompson has Academy Awards for  Best Actress (for Howards End) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Sense and Sensibility). She’s also penned movies like Bridget Jones’s Baby, Last Christmas and the Nanny McPhee films.

Billy Bob Thornton 

Billy Bob Thornton is another actor who has won an Academy Award for writing, having scored a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his work on Sling Blade, which he also starred in and directed. Over the years, some of Thornton's best movies -- like One False Move, A Family Thing, The Gift and Daddy and Them were also written by the actor himself.

Emerald Fennell 

After finding success with acting roles in movies like Albert Nobbs, Anna Karenina and The Danish Girl, as well as shows like Call the Midwife and The Crown, Emerald Fennell turned her attention to writing and directing. Her feature film debut, Promising Young Woman, earned her a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. She also crafted the script for the drama film Saltburn.

Tom Hanks 

Tom Hanks is another Oscar winner with a number of screenwriting credits to his name. In addition to leading some of the best movies of all time, Hanks has also penned the screenplays for That Thing You Do, Larry Crowne and the 2020 World War II thriller Greyhound.

Kumail Nanjiani 

Kumail Nanjiani has starred in all kinds of movies over the years, with Eternals, Stuber and The Lovebirds being just a few of them. But Nanjiani also wrote the screenplay for The Big Sick, the 2018 romantic comedy inspired by the battles he and wife Emily V. Gordon faced early in their relationship.

Paul Rudd 

Paul Rudd not only starred in one of the best Marvel movies such as Ant-Man, he was also one the writers given credit for its screenplay (alongside Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, and Adam McKay). But that wasn’t his first or last script, as Rudd contributed to Role Models and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Ethan Hawke 

Throughout his career, Ethan Hawke has starred in movies like Reality Bites, Boyhood, First Reformed and The Black Phone, among many others. However, the actor has also written his fair share of screenplays as well, with everything from the second and third installments in the Before film franchise to the gripping biopic Blaze featuring his handiwork. 

 Angelina Jolie 

Over the years, Angelina Jolie has become an instantly recognizable face and name thanks to a number of wonderful performances. The actress has also a few screenwriting credits, including In the Land of Blood and Honey, First They Killed My Father and By the Sea.

Kenneth Branagh 

To some Kenneth Branagh is arguably better known as a screenwriter than actor. That's because he won Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the semi autobiographical coming-of-age drama Belfast and received a nomination for his adaptation of Hamlet back in 1995. The Christopher Nolan collaborator has also written other films like Much Ado About Nothing, In the Bleak Midwinter, Listening and The Magic Flute.

Steve Coogan 

Steve Coogan is famous for his performances in the Night at the Museum movies, Tropic Thunder, 24 Hour Party People, and The Trip, but he’s also a talented writer. Over the years, Coogan has written movies like Philomena, The Lost King, The Parole Officer and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Sarah Polley 

After making a name for herself as an actress with roles in movies like Go, The Weight of Water and the underrated Dawn of the Dead remake, Sarah Polley turned her jumped into the writer/director seat. One of her most well-known scripts is probably 2022's Women Talking, which earned her an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Seth Rogen 

Seth Rogen has written some of the comedies that defined the 2000s, such as Pineapple Express and Superbad, as well as more recent hits like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This is on top of appearing in all three of those movies, as well as other classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which totally deserved its R rating.

Taylor Sheridan 

Taylor Sheridan is mostly known for crafting Sicario, Wind River, Hell or High Water and other riveting dramas. But the Yellowstone co-creator also had a decent acting career before making the big shift over the past decade. He appeared on shows like Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars.

Lake Bell 

In addition to appearing in movies like No Escape, No Strings Attached, It’s Complicated and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Lake Bell has also written and directed a few projects throughout her career. There are the shorts Worst Enemy and El Tonto, which she followed up with feature-length films, In a World… and I Do… Until I Don’t.

Owen Wilson 

When talking about Wes Anderson's collaborators, few names come to mind as quickly as Owen Wilson, who has appeared in a number of the director’s films throughout his career. But on top of appearing in seven of Anderson’s movies, Wilson also helped write three of them: Bottlerocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Jason Segel 

When it comes to the movie sphere, Jason Segel is probably best known for his portrayal of Peter Bretter in the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but some might not know he also wrote it. After that, Segel penned three additional feature films: The Muppets, The Five-Year Engagement and Sex Tape.

Ricky Gervais

On top of creating and starring on TV shows like the original version of The Office, Episodes and Extras, Ricky Gervais has also written some popular movies throughout his career. The British actor and comedian has crafted The Invention of Lying, Special Correspondents, Cemetery Junction and David Brent: Life on the Road.

Woody Allen 

Throughout his career, which goes back the mid 1950s, Woody Allen has written, directed, and starred in dozens of movies, many of which are incredibly well-received. Over the years, Allen has won four Academy Awards, three of which were for Best Original Screenplay – Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Midnight in Paris – on top of all kinds of other accolades. However, Allen has only appeared in four of his own movies the past 20 years.

John Cusack 

Not only did he star in some of the most iconic comedies of the 1980s, some all-time great ‘90s movies, and experience a great deal of success, John Cusack has written a handful of films throughout his career. This short list also happens to include some of his Cusack's best movies like High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank. His other writing credits include War, Inc. and We Are Not Animals.

Rashida Jones 

Rashida Jones is perhaps best known for her roles on NBC comedy hits The Office and Parks and Recreation, but the actress has also written a few screenplays throughout her career. This includes Celeste and Jesse Forever, the 2018 documentary, Quincy, which is about her dad -- music legend Quicy Jones. She also has a story credit for Toy Story 4 and wrote “Nosedive,” one of the best Black Mirror episodes.

Tom McCarthy 

Tom McCarthy is best known for writing and directing Spotlight, the riveting journalism movie that won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 88th Academy Awards. But while he was in the process of becoming an award-winning filmmaker, McCarthy put together a decent acting resume that included a memorable turn on The Wire (during the final season), Meet the Parents, Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana and Michael Clayton.

Each of these nearly three-dozen actors has quite the resume, both in terms of on-screen performances and written work, making them more than deserving of any and all praise.

Between the Extraction franchise and budding universe for The Gray Man, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have their hands full with plenty of Netflix productions. And their work with the entertainment company is far from done. The sibling filmmaking duo has already lined up another movie with the streamer in the form of upcoming movie The Electric State. This is primed to be a high-profile motion picture and, unsurprisingly, an all-star cast that includes Hollywood heavy-hitters like Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt has been assembled.

The Electric State was announced by the Russo Brothers back in 2017 and is based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name. The book was adapted for the screen by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who worked with the directors on Marvel films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.

The movie is set during the 1990s of an alternate United States, in which a civil war has broken out between humans and robots. It tells the story of a young woman who receives a robot from her brother and, ultimately, the heroine and her machine embark on a journey to find her sibling. An eclectic assortment of actors are helping to bring this story to life and, for your convenience, we’ve listed them here.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown is set to play the lead character, Michelle, who’ll face dangers in an attempt to find her brother. Though she's not quite 21 yet, the fan-favorite star has been acting for nearly a decade now. However, she truly broke through in 2016 through her Emmy-nominated role as Eleven in Netflix’s highly popular sci-fi series Stranger Things. She’s since parlayed that notoriety into a budding film career and has already starred in the MonsterVerse movies Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. Brown also serves as the stars in and produces the Enola Holmes film franchise, in which she plays the titular fourth wall-breaking sleuth. She's also in the fantasy flick Damsel. One would expect the star to bring her signature wit and charm to this latest role.

Chris Pratt

Playing the role of Keats is Chris Pratt. The character is described as a smuggler that Michelle meets during her travels. Many fans likely still recognize Pratt for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, and others may even remember him for his role on Everwood. He’s come a long way since then, though. In the early days of his film career, the star took on supporting roles in films like Wanted, Zero Dark Thirty and Her. It was in 2013, however, that he emerged as a leading man, thanks to his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. From there, he’s starred in the Jurassic World franchise, The Lego Movie and its sequel, The Magnificent Seven and The Tomorrow War, just to name a few. He also voiced Nintendo's beloved, mustachioed plumber in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and voices the lead role in The Garfield Movie.

Giancarlo Esposito

Any film or TV production would be lucky to have Giancarlo Esposito as a member of its cast. It would probably surprise no one to hear that the actor is set to voice a villainous drone known as Marshall. To say that Esposito has played a plethora of characters in his time would be an understatement. The seasoned performer is famous for his roles in classic Spike Lee films like School Daze and Do the Right Thing and also gained recognition for his roles in The Usual Suspects, Waiting to Exhale, Ali and much more. But his most famous character, however, is arguably drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring, who he played on Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel series, Better Call Saul. Right now, Esposito also starred (as villainous characters) on Star Wars series The Mandalorian and superhero show The Boys.

Anthony Mackie

For this cinematic endeavor, Joe and Anthony Russo will be reteaming with Anthony Mackie, who they worked with on the Captain America and Avengers films. The actor has been tapped to voice a sentient robot, who’s described as an ally to Chris Pratt’s character. Mackie has been a Hollywood actor for quite some time, as he made his acting debut as “Papa Doc” in the 2002 drama film 8 Mile. The A-lister has also starred in acclaimed films like Half Nelson, Million Dollar Baby and The Hurt Locker. In 2014, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Sam Wilson/The Falcon, who took on the mantle of Captain America in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Mackie will reprise that role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. On the small screen, he's also the lead of the Twisted Metal series.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton has collaborated with the Russos before, as he starred in The Gray Man. In that film, he played a veteran CIA agent and, for this upcoming sci-fi production, he’ll voice a key figure in the civil war, who just happens to be a robot. Thornton, like many of his co-stars, has a resume that speaks for itself. His body of work includes Sling Blade (which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), One False Move and Armageddon. Of course, who could forget his turns in Friday Night Lights, The Alamo and Monster’s Ball. He’s an elder statesman within this ensemble and can certainly bring a level of gravitas.

Stanley Tucci

Speaking over capable veterans, Stanley Tucci also stars in the movie, and his role has yet to be revealed. The always-delightful actor has an extensive filmography that’s stuffed to the brim with notable big-screen productions. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the actor appeared in Prizzi’s Honor, A Midsummer’s Night Dream among other films. And by the 2000s, Tucci landed roles in Road to Perdition, The Terminal, The Devil Wears Prada and The Lovely Bones, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The viral sex symbol’s visibility has expanded into blockbuster fare over the past decade, such as Captain America: The First Avenger, the Hunger Games franchise and some Transformers films. Though he hasn’t forgotten his dramatic or comedic roots as evidenced by Easy A, Burlesque and Spotlight. He's also starred on the Russo brother-produced Amazon show Citadel, which called upon him to perform a brutal scene.

Ke Huy Quan

Fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan is joining the Russos for their next cinematic outing. Quan is said to be playing a doctor that Millie Bobby Brown’s character must locate. And interestingly enough, the actor replaced Michelle Yeoh, his co-star from the aforementioned movie, in the role, as she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Quan is widely loved by so many, who remember him for his iconic roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. Though he’d star in a few movies like Breathing Fire and Encino Man in the years that immediately followed, Quan was forced to step away from acting due to a lack of opportunities. After spending years as a successful stunt choreographer, he began to act again a couple of years ago, starting with Finding ʻOhana. As mentioned, he gave a strong turn in Daniels' multidimensional dramedy and played a role in Disney+’s American Born Chinese, and Quan is also starred in Loki Season 2 and has the action film With Love.

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate makes for another strong addition to this cast. The star will reportedly lend her voice to a CGI character, who I’d wager is a robot of sorts. Slate is a student of comedy, who possesses a strong improv background, and that arguably helped her land a spot in Saturday Night Live’s Season 35 cast. After working on the show for one season, she went on to star in other high-profile shows, from Parks and Recreation and Kroll Show to House of Lies and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She’s also been featured in Gifted, Venom, I Want You Back and other movies. Slate has a particularly strong reputation in the realm of voice acting through Bob’s Burgers, Big Mouth, Zootopia, The Lego Batman Movie, and so much more. She absolutely broke viewers’ hearts in 2022 with her performance as the titular character in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and will lend her voice to The Ark and the Aardvark.

Jason Alexander

Another intriguing pick-up for the film is veteran actor and comedian Jason Alexander, who’s been cast in an undisclosed role. A widely beloved star, Alexander began his career as a stage performer before making the jump to TV. It was in that medium that he’d find his signature role, that of the bumbling, but well-meaning, George Costanza on Seinfeld. Alexander has appeared on countless shows in the years since the hit NBC sitcom ended. Curb Your Enthusiasm, Star Trek: Voyager, Two and a Half Men and The Orville are just a few of his credits. In terms of film, he’s held roles in flicks like Pretty Woman, Coneheads and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Woody Norman

Amid the flurry of Hollywood veterans, Electric State will also showcase some up-and-coming talent in the form of Woody Norman. The 13-year-old English actor is set to play the younger brother of Millie Bobby Brown’s character. Though he hasn’t been in the industry as long as his peers, Norman does have some respectable credentials. When it comes to TV, he’s appeared on Starz's The White Princess and the BBC’s Poldark along with a few other programs. He truly broke out in 2021 as a result of his role in the Joaquin Phoenix-led drama C’mon C’mon. He also played a supporting role in the 2023 horror flick The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Norman’s going to need to bring it for the Russos’ sci-fi film, as his character is definitely crucial to the plot.

 Martin Klebba 

Like many of his co-stars, Martin Klebb has certainly been around the block in Hollywood. He’s done stunt work on a myriad of films from Van Helsing and Evan Almighty to Zombieland and Hancock. He even served as a mo-cap performer on 2015’s Jurassic World. However, moviegoers probably know him best for playing Marty in four of the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He’s not done with the House of Mouse, either, as he’s also set to appear as Grumpy in the upcoming Snow White film. While his role in the Russos’ sci-fi film is currently unknown, I have no doubt Klebb will put in a solid effort as per usual.

Brian Cox

So why don’t we end this list with one more veteran: Brian Cox. The name by itself is pretty intimidating. Reports point to the celebrated actor, like some of his co-stars, is said to be voicing a CGI character. Where to even begin with Cox’s career? He’s an acclaimed stage veteran, who was praised for his turn in King Lear. His filmography spans various genres and includes movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight, Rushmore, X-Men 2, Zodiac, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Churchill. (Hold up, I need to catch my breath.) More recently, he’s captivated audiences through his Emmy-nominated performance as the cold and calculating Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession. Given his body of work, I could see Cox playing a villain in the Russos’ film, but that may not end up being the case. Whatever the case, let’s hope it’s a role he can sink his teeth into.

The Electric State debuts on March 14 amid the 2025 movie schedule and, if you're aiming to check it out, be sure you have an active Netflix subscription.

Anthony and Joe Russo know a thing or two about working with large ensemble casts made of up talented actors — just look at their work on four of the best Marvel movies and it becomes all the more clear. And now it looks like the filmmaking siblings have pulled off the impossible once again with the 2022 Netflix movie The Gray Man.

With names like Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas front and center of the spy thriller book-to-film adaptation, it’s safe to say The Gray Man cast is one remarkable bunch of actors. But while you are familiar with the the top three billed names, you might be wondering where you’ve seen the rest of the cast before. Well, wonder no more…

Ryan Gosling (Court Gentry)

At the center of The Gray Man is Ryan Gosling’s Count Gentry, aka Sierra Six, a CIA black ops operative who becomes the target of an international manhunt after uncovering information others within his agency would like to keep under wraps.

Whether he’s singing and dancing his way into Academy Awards consideration with La La Land or warming up even the coldest of hearts in The Notebook, Gosling has long been one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood. And with incredible performances in the likes of Drive, Blade Runner 2049, and dozens of others, it’s easy to see that Gosling’s best movies are also some of the crowning achievements of the past two decades.

Chris Evans (Lloyd Hansen)

Hot on the trail of the world’s most wanted spy in The Gray Man is unhinged and dangerous assassin Lloyd Hansen, portrayed by Chris Evans.

Despite being best known for playing the fan-favorite hero Captain America throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Evans has proven on more than one occasion that he is well suited to play the bad guy. In addition to the MCU films, Chris Evans movie credits include Snowpiercer, Gifted, Knives Out and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Ana de Armas (Dani Miranda)

Although just about everyone within the CIA wants to capture Count Gentry, Ana de Armas’ Dani Miranda is one of the few agents willing to help the former decorated operative.

The Gray Man is marks the second time de Armas has worked with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in a movie, as she starred alongside Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 and Evans in Knives Out. The actress, who has a long list of great movies herself, will next appear in Netflix’s NC-17-rated Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde in September.

Jessica Henwick (Suzanne Brewer)

Taking on the role of the ruthless CIA senior official Suzanne Brewer in The Gray Man is Jessica Henwick, whose career has taken her the galaxy far, far away, Westeros, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Matrix over the years.

In 2015, Henwick played X-Wing pilot Jessika Pava in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the same year she played one of the Sand Snakes on Game of Thrones. Since then, Henwick has landed roles on shows like Iron Fist, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and Moley, as well as movies like Underwater and The Matrix Resurrections as franchise newcomer Bugs. She’s next set to appear in the upcoming Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Rege-Jean Page (Denny Carmichael)

Orchestrating the plan to capture Count Gentry in The Gray Man is Regé-Jean Page’s CIA Director Lenny Carmichael.

No stranger when it comes to Netflix productions, Page became one of the most talked about actors thanks to his steamy role on Bridgerton Season 1 before departing the historical drama. And while it isn’t known if he’ll ever return to the Netflix series, Page is slated to appear in the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie. And then there is also all that buzz around if he will or will not be the next man to call himself “Bond, James Bond.”

Wagner Moura (Lazlo Sosa)

Wagner Moura shows up in The Gray Man as Lazlo Sosa, a counterfeiter who provides some assistance for Ryan Gosling’s character while on the run.

Another actor on The Gray Man cast who has history with Netflix, Moura earned a Golden Globe nomination and other accolades for his portrayal of Pablo Escobar on the first two seasons of popular crime drama series Narcos. Moura has also appeared in movies like Elysium, Elite Squad, and multiple others over the course of the past three decades. 

Billy Bob Thornton (Donald Fitzroy)

Billy Bob Thornton plays the role of Donald Fitzroy, the CIA official behind the Sierra program and the man believed to know the location of the wanted Six.

The list of Thornton’s best movies features one extraordinary performance after another in films like Sling Blade, Monster’s Ball, Primary Colors, Tombstone and more. And Thornton also knows a thing or two about working alongside large casts in the likes of Armageddon, Friday Night Lights, and Fargo.

Julia Butters (Claire Fitzroy)

Taking on the role of Claire Fitzroy, the niece of the Billy Bob Thornton’s CIA official is young actress Julia Butters.

Best known for her star-making performance as child actress Trudi Frazer in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Butters has also appeared in movies like A Family Man, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi throughout her career. Her TV credits include American Housewife, Transparent, and I Think You Should Leave. Butters is set to appear in Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical drama The Fabelmans later on in 2022.

Dhanush (Avik San)

Tamil superstar Dhanush shows up in The Gray Man as Avik San, one the numerous assassins who attempt to take out Count Gentry.

Dhanush is one of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood. The Indian actor has appeared in dozens of movies throughout his 20-year career including titles like Thulluvadho Ilamai, Thiruda Thirudi, and Pudhupettai. And as the Russo brothers told Variety, we could be seeing more of the actor if The Gray Man turns into a franchise.

Alfre Woodard (Margaret Cahill)

And then there is Alfre Woodard who appears on The Gray Man cast as Margaret Cahill, a former CIA chief who helps out the on-the-run fugitive.

Woodard previously worked with the Russos on Captain America: Civil War (she played the grieving mother who approached Tony Stark at MIT), but that was just a small part of her career. Over the years, Woodard has won a Golden Globe for her role in Miss Evers’ Boys, multiple Primetime Emmy Award for L.A. Law and The Practice, and received recognition for movies like Cross Creek, 12 Years a Slave, and Primal Fear.

These are just some of the faces that fill the screen throughout The Gray Man, which is streaming on Netflix as of July 22, 2022.

 After the relatively instant and consistent success of Paramount Network’s marquee drama series Yellowstone, ViacomCBS surprised no one (but pleased many) by renewing its partnership with co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who is in the process of expanding the fictional universe with the prequel 1883, among other projects. Led by Kevin Costner, Yellowstone’s mothership ensemble cast is as stacked with talent as it gets, so fans can definitely expect for its first spinoff to carry suit in that department when it hits the Paramount+ streaming service in December.

Below, we’re keeping an updated list of all the major cast members that have been announced for Yellowstone’s origin story (of sorts) 1883, with a pair of Grammy-winning country music artists in the lead roles. As well, any character information that has been revealed will be included, so let’s dive into this look back into the Dutton family’s past for their all-important and big-budgeted trip across America. 

 Sam Elliott (Shea Brennan) 

 A Hollywood legend by any stretch of the word, Sam Elliott has an abundance of noteworthy roles across his stellar career, from The Big Lebowski’s The Stranger to his Oscar-nominated turn in 2018’s A Star Is Born. But he’s also long been familiar with TV work as well, having starred in the original Mission: Impossible series, with more recent memorable roles in Justified and The Ranch, among others. Amusingly enough, he’ll be complementing his work on 1883 with a role opposite Will Forte in the MacGruber TV series.

Sam Elliott will be integral to the Yellowstone prequel in the role of Shea Brennan, a brick-tough cowboy who doesn’t take shit from anyone, especially when the stakes are high, as it goes during a wagon-train trek from Texas to Montana. Shea will be the guide for that group, which includes the Dutton family ancestors mentioned lower, but viewers can also expect to see the character suffering intense sadness due to an unknown incident in his past.

Tim McGraw (James Dutton)

Though the Louisiana-born Tim McGraw may be best known for his country hits coming out of Nashville, he has also developed something of a steady acting career as the years have gone by, with some of his most notable roles coming in films such as Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side. 2017’s The Shack was McGraw’s most recent acting role prior to being cast in 1883, but there’s a good chance his debut as a TV lead will eclipse everything else he’s accomplished in the fictional realm. 

For 1883, Tim McGraw will take on some hefty familial baggage in portraying James Dutton, the great-grandfather of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton. Details are light at this point when it comes to James’ personality and, well, everything else, but McGraw himself has taken to sharing social media posts with set details that fans can glean info from. For instance, it looks like James might be something of a gunfighter.

Faith Hill (Margaret Dutton)

While not quite as established an actor as her husband Tim McGraw, Faith Hill has taken on a handful of fictional roles in her music-heavy career, most notably for The Stepford Wives remake and 2017’s Dixieland. She’s no stranger to unscripted projects, either, having been a judge for CBS’ talent competition The World’s Best and also serving as a storytelling source for the 2019 documentary Bluebird.

Within the world of 1883, we know that Faith Hill will portray Margaret Dutton, wife of James and great-grandmother of John Dutton. Unfortunately, we don’t even have very many social media posts to theorize about when it comes to Margaret’s character or her motivations. One can only assume, however, that anyone whose lineage leads to Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton has fire and brimstone running through her veins.  

Isabel May (Elsa Dutton)

20-year-old Isabel May’s acting career only goes back a few years, but when one of those roles is a recurring gig on CBS’ Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon and another is a lead role in Netflix’s Alexa & Katie (she played Katie), it’s clear she’s destined to hit success rather quickly. And that should be helped along by upcoming roles in feature comedies I Want You Back and The Moon & Back. 

What’s a family story without some children in that family, amirite? Isabel May will take on the role of Elsa Dutton, the eldest daughter within that traveling Dutton clan at the heart of 1883. It can be assumed that she’ll serve as John Dutton’s grandmother, though that could technically be disproven if other casting announcements reveal Elsa has a sister. 

LaMonica Garrett (Thomas) 

For superhero TV fans, LaMonica Garrett is no doubt best known for helping break open the Arrowverse’s multiverse on The CW as The Monitor and The Anti-Monitor. He’s also known for trying to keep people safe in other TV shows such as Designated Survivor and The Last Ship. 2021 has been a solid year for Garrette, also, as he’s popped up across OWN’s Delilah, NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine for its final season, and Fox’s Fantasy Island. He also landed a recurring role opposite Chris Pratt in Amazon’s upcoming action drama The Terminal List based on the novel from Jack Carr.

Expect to see another leadership-geared performance from LaMonica Garrett in 1883 as Thomas, who is both a Pinkerton agent on the grand scale, and a right-hand man to Sam Elliott’s Shea Brennan on a small scale. It should be interesting to see how the racial politics play out for his role, given the time frame and the character’s multiple points of authority. 

Billy Bob Thornton (Jim Courtright)

The Oscar-winning Billy Bob Thornton is largely known for his extensive film career, which is highlighted by hits such as Sling Blade, Armageddon, Bad Santa and many more. He even co-starred with Tim McGraw in Friday Night Lights. That said, Thornton dove into TV in a big way in 2014 with a starring role in Fargo’s first season and a guest-starring role in The Big Bang Theory, and that success led to his starring role as Billy McBride in David E. Kelley’s Amazon legal drama Goliath. 

Billy Bob Thornton won’t be around 1883 for the long haul, I’m sorry to say, as he’ll be showing up in a guest-starring capacity for the role of Marshal Jim Courtright. That’s about all the info there is for the role, so it’s not entirely clear if Courtright is located in Texas or elsewhere, nor how long audiences can expect to see him. Though I guess if the prequel series is meant to cross most of the country in order to get to their eventual family ranch in Montana, there isn’t much time for the characters to stick around and meet new people.

With Yellowstone Season 4 hitting Paramount Network on November 7, 1883 is set to expand the western horizons on Sunday, December 19, when it debuts on Paramount+, though the first episode will also be simulcast on the linear network. Be sure to check out everything hitting the small screen between now and then with our 2021 Fall TV schedule. 

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Over the years, Billy Bob Thornton has played everything from a thief conning his way through the holiday season in Bad Santa to the man behind one of the most unbelievable plans to save the world in Armageddon and just about everything in between. The Academy Award winner, who can do everything from act to write and direct, as was the case with Sling Blade, has built up a respectable filmography throughout this career, and it doesn’t look like he plans on slowing down anytime soon. So, before he goes off and makes another thriller or drama we’ll surely be talking about for years to come, here is a quick rundown of the best Billy Bob Thornton movies and how you can watch them.

Sling Blade (1996)

When Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) is released from a mental hospital decades after killing his mother, he forms an unlikely bond with Frank Wheatley (Lucas Black), a young boy still coming to terms with his father’s suicide. While Frank, his mother Linda, (Natalie Canerday), and Vaughn Cunningham (John Ritter) are accepting of Karl and his tormented past, others in the small Arkansas town, like Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam), aren’t as welcoming to then mentally disabled man.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Billy Bob Thornton not only starred in Sling Blade but he also directed and wrote the 1996 drama, taking home an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his efforts. The film was based on a short called Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade that Thornton wrote and directed two years earlier. On top of that, Sling Blade also tells a beautiful and at times harrowing story about second chances and understanding set in the American South.

Stream Sling Blade on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Sling Blade on Amazon.

Buy Sling Blade on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Bad Santa (2003)

As far as anyone is concerned, Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is nothing more than a foul-mouthed and persistently hungover mall Santa who takes the holiday season one bottle of cheap booze at a time. Unbeknownst to the shoppers and management at various shopping centers throughout town, Stokes and his partner Marcus Skidmore (Tony Cox) are actually prolific con artists with an annual tradition of robbing stores blind on Christmas Eve. Well, that is until Stokes meets and befriends a young boy (Brett Kelly) who could bring on a Christmas miracle.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Bad Santa has become one of the most iconic holiday movies of the 21st Century though it shouldn’t be confused with something you could share with the family next Christmas Eve. And despite the drinking, debauchery, and thievery, there’s a heartfelt story about redemption even for the crudest and drunkest of mall Santas.

Rent Bad Santa on Amazon.

Buy Bad Santa on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Armageddon (1998)

With a planet-killing asteroid set on a collision course with Earth, NASA executive Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) comes up with a far-fetched plan that just so happens to be humanity’s only chance of survival: send a group of roughnecks from an offshore oil rig led by Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) to drill into the surface of the rock and blow it up with a nuclear bomb.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Released the same summer as another end-of-the-world asteroid movie, Michael Bay’s Armageddon is a stylized and unrealistic popcorn movie that makes you say “To hell with it, let’s have a good time,” and it does just that. One thing that makes the movie so enjoyable 22 years later (well, besides the guy yelling about his phonebook) is the insanely stacked cast, which includes Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, and more.

Stream Armageddon on Peacock.

Rent/Buy Armageddon on Amazon.

Buy Armageddon on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Friday Night Lights (2004)

When their star player, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) sustains a season-ending injury in the opening game, the Permian High School Panthers, head coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) leads the team on improbable campaign to the state championship game. But not if the team’s families and town of Odessa, Texas, don’t fall apart first.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Before it was adapted into a successful television series, Friday Night Lights, which was based on the H.G. Bissinger’s 1990 non-fiction novel of the same name, told one of the greatest football stories ever brought to the big screen. With outstanding performances from its large ensemble case, a gripping and highly emotional story, and an amazing soundtrack by Texas post-rock outfit Explosions in the Sky, there’s are plenty of reasons it’s one of the best sports movies of all time.

Stream Friday Night Lights on Starz*_._

Rent/Buy Friday Night Lights on Amazon.

Buy Friday Night Lights on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.*

Monster’s Ball (2001)

Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton) and Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry) are a grieving widower and widow who strike up an improbable bond shortly following the death of their children. They find comfort, security, and solace in one another, but when Hank, a prison guard, learns he was witness to the execution of Leticia’s husband on death row, the relationship, and their lives become all the more complicated.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Monster’s Ball is mostly remembered for showcasing the Oscar-winning performance of Halle Berry, which was the first and only (as of 2021) time an African-American woman has taken home the Academy Award for Best Actress. This emotional and intimate story about two people from different walks of life finding love again in one another is truly something to behold.

Stream Monster’s Ball on Showtime.

Rent/Buy Monster’s Ball on Amazon.

Buy Monster’s Ball on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

A Simple Plan (1998)

The lives of Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton), his brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), and their friend Lou Chambers (Brent Briscoe) are forever changed when they find a crashed plane with a dead pilot and $4 million in cash. What starts out as a simple, yet morally complicated plan quickly unfolds into something that could further complicate not only their lives but everyone they know.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Directed by Sam Raimi, A Simple Plan is a dark and twisted take on the crime noir genre that gets rid of darkened city streets for rural Minnesota and all its mysteries. The film would go on to receive two Academy Awards, including a nod for Billy Bob Thornton in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Stream A Simple Plan on Paramount+.

Rent/Buy A Simple Plan on Amazon.

Buy A Simple Plan on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton), a small-town barber in 1940s California, has grown tired of his life after discovering his wife Doris (Frances McDormand) has been carrying on with an extramarital affair. To get back at his wife, her lover, and to spice up his seemingly normal and quiet life, Ed comes up with a blackmail scheme. What starts out as a relatively simple revenge plot quickly unfolds into something no one, not even Ed, could have ever expected.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, and shot by the incomparable Roger Deakins, The Man Who Wasn’t There is what would you come to expect from the visionary filmmaker brothers and a cast that also includes Richard Jenkins, Tony Shalhoub, James Gandolfini, and a young Scarlett Johansson, and it doesn’t let down.

Rent/Buy The Man Who Wasn’t There on Amazon.

Buy The Man Who Wasn’t There on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Primary Colors (1998)

When Jack Stanton (John Travolta), a Democratic governor from an unnamed southern state announces his candidacy for President of the United States, his campaign puts together a remarkable, diverse, and somewhat morally-bankrupt team of advisors including his wife, Susan (Emma Thompson), political strategist Richard Jemmons (Billy Bob Thornton), and the idealistic Henry Burton (Adrian Lester). Told through a comedic lens, the film explores the ups, downs, and compromises one must take to lead a successful campaign.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Loosely based off the 1992 Clinton Campaign, Primary Colors takes stories and people tied to the successful Presidential bid and turns it up by a few degrees. Billy Bob Thornton, whose character was based on Louisiana political strategist James Carville, is outstanding as a ruthless political insider who wants nothing more than to get a win for his boss, no matter what it takes.

Stream Primary Colors on Hulu.

Rent/Buy Primary Colors on Amazon.

Buy Primary Colors on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

One False Move (1992)

Three ruthless criminals — Ray Malcolm (Billy Bob Thornton), Lila “Fantasia” Walker (Cynda Williams), and Lane “Pluto” Franklin (Michael Beach) — go into hiding in a rural Arkansas town after pulling off a series of violent crimes in Los Angeles. While the trio initially think they’ve escaped consequences for their actions, they quickly realize how wrong they are after they fall in the crosshairs of Sheriff Dale “Hurricane” Dixon (Bill Paxton).

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Another movie on this list written by Billy Bob Thornton, One False Move, which was directed by Carl Franklin, is a hard-hitting and complex crime thriller with its fair share of secrets. Plus, who doesn’t love Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton sharing scenes together.

Stream One False Move on Starz.

Rent/Buy One False Move on Amazon.

Buy One False Move on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Tombstone (1993)

Tired of being gunslingers in the American West, Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), his brothers, Morgan (Bill Paxton) and Virgil (Sam Elliott), and best friend Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer) move to Tombstone, Arizona, with hopes of starting a new and less bloody life as businessmen in the boomtown. Trouble, however, isn’t far behind in the form of the Cowboy gang, a ruthless band of outlaws hellbent on making life difficult for everyone in their path.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Tombstone is the one of the best cowboy movies of the late 20th Century and one that is just beloved now as it was upon its release nearly 30 years ago. One thing that makes the movie so great is its outstanding cast, which happens to include Billy Bob Thornton as the foul-mouthed card dealer Johnny Tyler who just stands there and bleeds.

Rent/Buy Tombstone on Amazon.

Buy Tombstone on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Love Actually (2003)

Told through nine interconnected stories of romance, loss, and new beginnings during the holiday season, Love Actually paints a beautiful picture of Great Britain during the holidays and how anything can happen on Christmas if you believe in love.

Why it’s one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best movies: Billy Bob Thornton is only in Love Actually for a few minutes, but he makes the most of his time on screen as U.S. President, the bullish American commander-in-chief who thinks he railroad British Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant) in every way possible. This tension leads to one of the best character stories in Richard Curtis’ 2003 modern Christmas classic.

Stream Love Actually on IMDbTV.

Rent/Buy Love Actually on Amazon.

Buy Love Actually on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

BONUS: Fargo Season 1 (TV Series) (2014)

The first season of the FX anthology series adaptation of Joel and Ethan Coens’ Fargo centers on the story of Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), a mysterious hitman who crashes his car in the small town of Bemidji, Minnesota, and proceeds to become involved in the lives of the local townsfolk, sometimes with disastrous results.

Billy Bob Thornton, who previously worked with the Coen brothers and who also appeared in a crime drama set in Minnesota, would end up winning a Golden Globe in the Best Actor — Miniseries or Television Film category with multiple other nominations. The dark, mysterious, and deadpan nature of Thornton’s character makes this an easy binge.

Stream Fargo Season 1 on Hulu.

Rent/Buy Fargo Season 1 on Amazon.

Buy Fargo Season 1 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

As you can see, the list of best Billy Bob Thornton movies is a varied bunch, with everything from sports dramas to crime thrillers, and just about everything in between. With other projects in the works, including The Gray Man from the Russo Brothers, expect to see Thornton pop up in some of the most exciting 2021 movies as well as all the upcoming 2022 new movie releases.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly have become one of Hollywood’s rising power couples. The couple received a rocky reception at first due to some confusing drama. Eventually, MGK and Fox found their stride with the media and the public. But the actress’s film commitments led to an unexpected move early in the couple’s relationship. The rapper-actor spoke on the way they chose to follow Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton's example with some blood-infused jewelry.

When it comes to unorthodox acts of love, Angelina Jolie and ex Billy Bob Thornton’s infamous blood necklaces are still a topic of discussion. Some were repulsed while others were inspired. Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox seemingly fell into the latter, especially early in their relationship. MGK recently spoke to a necklace he wears that contains a drop of Fox's blood, saying:

While everyone may have their opinion on this blood necklace, many of us have done something in relationships that others might see as extreme. In the early stage, Machine Gun Kelly wanted to stay connected with Megan Fox while she was away. Not seeing his girlfriend every day was seemingly unsettling for the musician at the time. Plus, the passport situation didn’t make things easier. So the blood veil seemed like the best solution.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s love gesture seemingly mimicked Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton’s iconic necklaces. But Thornton revealed in a 2018 interview (via Insider) that the media exaggerated that love act. He revealed the veils only had smears, not pints, of blood. So, it wasn’t as bizarre as folks made it out to be. Even MGK’s veil only had a drop of Fox’s blood. So the gesture in both cases isn’t as extreme as viewers made them out to be.

During his interview with Ellen DeGeneres, the talk show host asked Machine Gun Kelly if he ever got to see the actress in Bulgaria. The rapper-actor made a stunning revelation by shouting out U.S. Representative Berne Sanders. MGK talked about the U.S. Representative helping him to get a passport to visit Megan Fox on her film shoot. He also admitted to not speaking with Sanders after the kind gesture. The rapper-actor ended up thanking the U.S. Representative on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. DeGeneres jokingly commented on how Sanders saved the multi-hyphenates' relationship during the early stage. Once again, it’s Bernie Sanders to the rescue during a person’s time of need.

As evident by Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s social media feed, the couple is very much in love and not afraid to show it. The relationship seems to have benefitted the rapper-actor most as seen with his big moments and his addiction issues. Recently, the couple’s relationship timeline has come under question, but the drama hasn’t affected their bond. So, Fox and MGK’s Jolie-Thornton gesture was just another sign of their ever-growing love.

As Netflix has grown, the streaming service has shown increased willingness to spend big bucks on its most high-profile original movies. Just look at how much it cost to make The Irishman, 6 Underground and the upcoming Red Notice, to name a few. Well, Netflix is now in the midst of putting together its most expensive movie yet: The Gray Man, which comes with a $200 million budget and was supposed to star Brad Pitt many years ago.

Based on the same-named novel by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man will follow a skilled operative who’s embarked on a journey across the globe to eliminate his former co-worker from the CIA, who’s now a mercenary. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo are helming The Gray Man, and their Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame collaborators, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, came in to polish the script that Joe Russo penned. But that’s not the only way The Gray Man is serving as a Marvel Cinematic Universe reunion, as Chris Evans is among the many actors who have boarded the action thriller. With that in mind, let’s go over who all is taking part in this ambitious Netflix movie.

Chris Evans

Four of Chris Evans’ 11 movies as Captain America (including the cameo appearances) were directed by the Russo brothers, but for The Gray Man, the actor’s playing a drastically different kind of character than the Star-Spangled Avenger. Evans was brought aboard to play Lloyd Hansen, the operative who’s hunting down Court Gentry (more on him soon). However, don’t go thinking that Lloyd is the hero of this story. Joe Russo described Evans’ character as the villain who gets to wear “some crazy shit.” Evans has experience playing antagonistic characters, from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World to Knives Out, so it’ll be interesting to see how his version of Lloyd Hansen compares to those other baddies.

Ryan Gosling

The protagonist of The Gray Man is Court Gentry, who may be on the run, but has a noble cause in the story, as he’s determined to rescue his family and handler from nefarious forces who feel he’s a threat to their interests and have hired Lloyd Hansen to take him out. Ryan Gosling will bring Court to life in Netflix’s adaptation; he’s most recently appeared in Blade Runner 2049 and First Man, and he’s also starring in a reboot of The Wolf Man. The Gray Man is the first of Mark Greaney’s novels starring Court Gentry, so if the movie performs well on Netflix, there’s a good chance we could see Gosling reprise the role in at least one sequel, if not many more.

Ana De Armas

Although Ana de Armas has been professionally acting since 2006, her profile has grown in recent years thanks to being present in movies like Blade Runner 2049, The Informer and Knives Out. In addition to her upcoming turn as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, de Armas also got some action experience under her belt from playing Paloma in the next James Bond movie, No Time to Die. That should come in handy for The Gray Man, and while it hasn’t been revealed yet who she’s playing, the Netflix feature is giving her the opportunity to reunite with both Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling.

Jessica Henwick

Jessica Henwick is no stranger to the world of action, as she played skilled martial artist and swordswoman Colleen Wing in the Marvel Netflix shows Iron Fist, The Defenders and Luke Cage. Her other notable credits include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Underwater and Blood of Zeus, and she’ll soon be seen in Godzilla vs. Kong and The Matrix 4. So yeah, Henwick has shown up in a lot of major projects in recent years, and it’ll be interesting to see how she factors into The Gray Man.

Wagner Moura

If you’re a fan of the Netflix series Narcos, you’ll obviously recognize Wagner Moura as the man who played drug lord Pablo Escobar (who he briefly reprised in an episode of the companion series Narcos: Mexico). As for movies, Moura is an acclaimed actor within the world of Brazilian cinema, while American film fans might recognize him from recent movies like Wasp Network and Sergio. But if you haven’t watched any of these projects, then you’ll have the opportunities to see his acting talents when The Gray Man comes out.

Dhanush

The actor known as Dhanush has been active in Tamil cinema for nearly two decades now, and he made his Bollywood debut in 2013’s Raanjhanaa. But if you primarily stick to American movies, then you’re likely not familiar with Dhanush, although The Gray Man will certainly change that. It’s unclear how big of a role he has in the story, but perhaps the Netflix production will pave the way for him to appear in more Hollywood fare.

Julia Butters

You may not know her by name, but if you saw Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, then you’ll definitely remember Julia Butters for playing Trudi Fraser, the young actress who performed opposite Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton in the Lancer pilot. You might also recognize Butters from her role as Anna-Kat Otto on the ABC sitcom American Housewife, although she departed the series ahead of Season 5. While we don’t officially know yet who Butters in The Gray Man, I suspect it’ll be one of Court Gentry’s daughters.

Billy Bob Thornton

If you’re reading this, chances are I don’t need to tell you who Billy Bob Thornton is or do a deep dive on his resume, which includes Armageddon, Monster’s Ball and Bad Santa. That said, The Gray Man will mark Thornton’s first movie since 2018, when he appeared in both London Fields and A Million Little Pieces. He’s also starred as Billy McBride in the Amazon series Goliath, which premiered its third season back in 2019 and has been renewed for a fourth and final season. If I had to guess, I’d say that Thornton will play one of The Gray Man’s villains, but don’t hold me to that.

Alfre Woodard

Like Billy Bob Thornton, there’s no need to go over all the movie and TV shows Alfre Woodard is well known for, but it is worth mentioning that she’s a veteran in the Netflix space, having previously popped up in Luke Cage, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Juanita and the upcoming Fatherhood. Now she’s returning to the platform as part of The Gray Man’s cast; fingers crossed she’ll share some scenes with Chris Evans, as she only acted opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War.

Regé-Jean Page

Before December 2020, you might have seen Regé-Jean Page in projects like Mortal Engines, For the People and The History Channel’s Roots miniseries, but now he’s been catapulted to new levels of fame thanks to his role as Simon Basset in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton. As if being cast in the new Dungeons & Dragons movie wasn’t exciting enough, now Page is getting to leave his mark on the film side of the Netflix empire by starring in The Gray Man. Clearly his popularity boost is only just getting started.

Eme Ikwuakor

Eme Ikwuakor is staying familiar territory by joining The Gray Man, as in recent years, he’s recurred on the Netflix teen comedy-drama series On My Block as Dwayne Turner, the father of Brett Gray’s Jamal Warner. Some of you might also remember Ikwuakor from his time as Gorgon in the short-lived Marvel series Inhumans, while his other notable film and TV credits include Extant, NCIS: Los Angeles, How to Get Away with Murder and the upcoming Roland Emmerich flick Moonfall.

Scott Haze

Following his breakout performance as Lester Ballard in Child of God, Scott Haze has appeared in movies like Midnight Special, Thank You for Your Service, Only the Brave, Zeroville and Minari. However, comic book movie fans might recognize him from 2018’s Venom as Roland Treece, the head of security for Carlton Drake, the man who later bonded with the Riot symbiote. Haze also has a role in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, and now he gets to be involved in the ambitious production that is The Gray Man.

With The Gray Man expected to begin filming later this year, it’ll be a while until Netflix announces its premiere date. While we wait for that information and other updates on The Gray Man’s progress, find out what the streaming service is delivering later this month with our handy guide.

2016 has been a bit of a disappointment when it comes to film. How disappointing is it? Not even a softball Christmas concept like Bad Santa 2 can rise above the muck to become a breath of darkly comedic cheer that we so desperately need. It's not that the movie doesn't work, as there's still some laughs and genuine moments of enjoyment that creep in periodically. It's just that this movie would have worked better if Bad Santa didn't exist in the first place.

Years after the events of Bad Santa, Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is drawn into another big score by his former partner / would-be assassin, Marcus (Tony Cox.) This time, the team has another member of the Soke clan along for the ride, as Willie's mom Sunny (Kathy Bates) has hatched a plan to rob a charity in the heart of Chicago. As if this wasn't enough of a complication, Willie strikes up an interesting relationship with the head of said charity (Christina Hendricks), which may end up changing his life for the better.

To say that Bad Santa 2 is a rehash is putting it mildly. A lot of the same comedic and dramatic beats are retread throughout this film, making us ask the question, "How many times can Willie learn his lesson before he's finally behind bars?" The answer is probably for as many times as people have demanded a sequel to Bad Santa, which will probably end after the realization that no one asked for this film dawns on its distributors. There is nothing added to this film that makes it special or even worthy of following the already iffy Bad Santa. What this film benefits from is the performances of its cast, but even then there's not much to work with within the material given to the cast.

Thornton is charming and uncouth, as always, as Willie, while Marcus and Sunny are basically the same character, except one's dying and happens to be Willie's mother. Still, Cox and Bates do make a good dual foil for Billy Bob Thornton's antics, which makes one think of what sort of opportunities a better sequel could have afforded them. Also, someone please cast Christina Hendricks as the lead in a motion picture, already. She's more than proven herself in supporting roles, and just as equally deserves her moment in the spotlight.

If you liked Bad Santa, but are curious as to how Bad Santa 2 differs, follow the following formula: replace John Ritter with Christina Hendricks and Bernie Mac with Kathy Bates. Update some of the jokes, grow the kid up to legal drinking age, and throw a little extra salt in Billy Bob Thornton's insults. That's basically what you're getting with this "too little, too late" follow-up. While there are some moments that actually entertain throughout the film, in the end it's not unique enough to exist, or even give a damn about.

Most people are probably wondering why Bad Santa 2 didn't happen sooner. My guess is so that people forgot so much about what happened in the original Bad Santa that they'd be able to watch this film and claim it as a fresh, new product. Ho ho, no it isn't.

Fame is a fickle beast. You never know what project is going to catapult you into the stratosphere as an artist, musician, or performer. And so you might have to deal with an old project from fans because THAT's what they know you from. I bet Tom Hanks still gets Bosom Buddies references from fans. And Julia Roberts likely gets Notting Hill or Pretty Woman quotes hurled at her all of the time. For Bad Santa 2 star Billy Bob Thornton, it was Sling Blade that made him a household name, so fans approach him with DVDs to get signatures. Only, there are times when they probably shouldn't.

With Bad Santa 2 about to hit theaters, Billy Bob Thornton's making the press rounds, and GQ has a feature where they caught up with the actor on the road... where he's touring as a musician with The Boxmasters. The whole piece paints Thornton as a surly dude, particularly when people come up to him RIGHT after a concert and ask him to sign a DVD of Sling Blade, the 1996 drama in which Thornton played a mentally challenged man released from a hospital. Or, as Billy Bob puts it:

So yeah, he's not crazy about the fact that some fans still relate him to something he did 20 years ago. Though, arguably, Sling Blade IS his most recognizable role (outside of a Santa suit), but Billy Bob Thornton's making a bigger point. He's an artist. He's creative. He's in the NOW, and he just laid his soul bare for you on stage as a member of The Boxmasters. It's not the best time in the world to have him recognize his 20-year-old movie. Comment on his songs. Credit his music.

At least it's not a DVD of Armageddon, though, right Billy Bob?

I'd never heard Billy Bob Thornton play with The Boxmasters. They sound like this:

But I sure do know him from Sling Blade, as his guttural Sling Blade voice was half of the work that earned him his Best Actor nomination (and a win for writing):

So, lesson learned. Billy Bob Thornton's cool with you loving Sling Blade. He gets it. But right after a concert? Leave him alone. And go see Bad Santa 2.

Amber Heard has insisted that Johnny Depp accidentally cut off the tip of his own finger while in a fit of rage after accusing his wife of cheating on him with Billy Bob Thornton while on the set of the thriller London Fields.

TMZ have acquired a photo that Amber Heard and her lawyers plan to use against Johnny Depp in their lawsuit with the actor. You can head over to TMZ to check out an image of Johnny Depp's deeply severed finger by clicking here. Please be forewarned that it's horrifically graphic and upsetting to look at.

It's been reported that this incident occurred in March 2015, when Amber Heard and Johnny Depp were in a villa in Australia, just one month after the couple had married. Amber Heard has alleged that Johnny Depp was both drunk and high on ecstasy at the time of the argument, which as it became more animated and ferocious resulted in the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor smashing several bottles that were dotted around the abode, as well as some windows, and even obliterating a plastic phone against a wall. During this commotion, a piece of one of these items sliced off a huge portion of Johnny Depp's fingers.

According to Amber Heard, Johnny Depp didn't immediately seek medical attention, though. Instead he dipped the remaining stump of his forefinger into a can of dark blue paint that she was using for her work, and then smeared the words "Billy Bob" and "Easy Amber" on a mirror. Heard has alleged that Depp repeatedly accused her of extra-marital affairs throughout their 15-month marriage.

Amber Heard's team also revealed that it took nearly 24 hours for Johnny Depp to seek medical help for the gnarly injury. At this point, doctors were unable to put the tip of Johnny Depp's finger back where it belonged, so they instead used skin from his hand to create a new tip to his ravaged finger. The "Billy Bob" that Depp is allegedly referring to is likely to be Billy Bob Thornton, who filmed London Fields with Amber Heard, a film that is scheduled to be released at some point in 2016. However, that seems unlikely because neither a confirmed release date nor a trailer has been released for the film, which also stars Jim Strugess, Theo James, Cara Delevingne, Jason Isaacs, Jaimie Alexander and Johnny Depp himself.

London Fields revolves around Billy Bob Thornton's Samson Young, who is a terminally ill writer that has suffered from writer's block for 20 years. London Fields was written by Robert Hanley from lauded novelist Martin Amis' 1989 book, and Matthew Cullen made his feature film debut as its director, replacing David Cronenberg, Michael Winterbottom and David Mackenzie, who had each been linked.

Unfortunately, it's been stuck in cinematic purgatory for some time now, after Matthew Cullen pulled the film from the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and began to sue its producers, accusing them of fraud and for promoting an edit of the film he didn't support.

The summer movie season is actually beginning to wind down, which means it's time to look forward to the busy holiday movie season. This one won't exactly be a blockbuster, but it's one that fans have been waiting for, for a very long time. Billy Bob Thornton is back in Bad Santa 2. Check out the new teaser trailer below.

While the new teaser doesn't give us much, the fact is, it doesn't really need to. If you were a fan of the original, foul-mouthed, alcoholic, Bad Santa, then just knowing that this new film is on the way is likely enough to convince you to check it out. A shot of Billy Bob Thornton asleep, we assume after a long night, and being culturally insensitive, is all we need to know.

While the exact plotline of Bad Santa 2 is not currently known, we do have some information that helps piece the movie together. Kathy Bates will be playing the mother of Billy Bob Thornton's character, Willie Stokes. Also, Christina Hendricks will be the film's female lead, taking over from Lauren Graham from the original film. Hendricks' character is being described as another woman with some kind of Santa fetish (is... is that really a thing?). We don't really know where all this is going, but we know that all the actors can be absolutely hilarious, so we're hopeful that the sequel will be able to live up the original.

One thing that we can say with some amount of certainty, is that the film will set itself up for several more offensive interactions with young children, which was, of course, one of the highlights of the original film.

Bad Santa 2 has been a long time coming. Billy Bob Thornton had previously said that the sequel was coming back in 2012, with a Christmas 2013 release planned. That obviously didn't happen. Whether this film is using the same script that was in development back then, or something entirely different, is unknown. The original film made $60 million in the U.S. on a budget of just over $20 million, which is what you call a hit. That was back in 2003. 13 years later even more people have seen the original, as it is a Christmas movie, even if it's not necessarily the title you think of when you think of what a Christmas movie is.

Are you looking forward to Bad Santa 2? Let us know if it will be on your holiday wish list when it hits theaters this November.

For every successful movie at the box office, there's one that doesn't live up to expectations. Every actor has had to deal with the difficulties of their movie not having the impact that they wish it did. Most of the time, the actor just moves on, but there's one bad break Matt Damon can't get over. He's still upset that All the Pretty Horses never found an audience or resonated with critics. Although, much of that he lays at the feet of the changes the studio made to the film.

Matt Damon exploded on the scene in 1997 with his Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting. The actor then became an action superstar in 2002 with The Bourne Identity. In the five years in between those films, Damon made several movies. Some were hits, others were not. But he tells GQ that the one that he's "clearly never gonna get over" is All the Pretty Horses . He says that thinking about the film's failure just depresses him. What really kills him though, is that director Billy Bob Thornton never got to release the version of the film that he really wanted to. Thornton and producer Harvey Weinstein would go back and forth on the changes in conference calls daily. Apparently, Damon was on the phone when Thornton finally gave up.

It's been sixteen years since All the Pretty Horses was released and reading this is breaking my heart right now. There were apparently a couple of reasons that Miramax wanted to make changes. First off, according to Harvey Weinstein in the same GQ interview, Billy Bob Thornton's cut was something around four hours long, and it put studio executives to sleep. The final cut of the movie clocks in at one hour and 56 minutes, which means that as much as half the movie may have been lost in the editing room.

The other problem was, for some reason, the music. The score had originally been recorded by Thornton's Sling Blade composer Daniel Lanois, but the studio replaced the music entirely. Damon says that music was really what made the movie great. The studio offered to release Billy Bob Thornton's version of the film on DVD, but Lanois has refused to allow his music to be used, feeling that if it wasn't good enough for theatrical release, then it was just not worth it. Thornton has stood by his friend's decision.

All the Pretty Horses may not have been a financial or critical success, but maybe that's because we've never actually seen the complete film. Maybe someday we'll have that option.

Prepare for the return of Willie T. Stokes! Since its release back in 2003, the holiday comedy Bad Santa has developed a sizable cult audience, and, as a result, it looks like a follow up is actually going to happen. Billy Bob Thornton himself has teased that Bad Santa 2 is currently in the early stages of development.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thornton was recently part of a special Q&A at Loyola Marymount University's School of Film & Television, and revealed that there are indeed plans to make a follow up to the Terry Zwigoff-directed Christmas dark comedy. The actor said that he thoroughly enjoyed crawling into Willie's skin because it allowed him to display his talents in a broad comedy that went out of its way to play for big, crude laughs. When the topic turned to a possible Bad Santa 2, Thornton assured the audience that it was in the works, but also made sure to insist that it’s still a good couple of years away from fruition. As it stands, they are still waiting on a screenplay. Said the actor,

It’s quite refreshing to hear Billy Bob Thornton already admit that a possible follow-up won’t get close to the bawdy original. While his comments sound almost defeatist, so many actors try to insist that their sequel will improve upon the first installment that it becomes white noise after a while. That, of course, hardly ever happens. In fact, except for the likes of The Godfather Part II I’m actually struggling to think of a sequel that was truly superior to its predecessor. Come on. I know there are a few that rival the original, but which films have actually surpassed them? Be honest. Maybe Iron Man 3, Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight? But even then, when you think about the fact that we live in the era of the franchise, the return rate is despicably low.

I have hope that Bad Santa 2 could buck this trend, though. Billy Bob Thornton isn’t the sort of actor who will take on a project just to cash a check come the end of production. He will make sure that it’s worthy of the first film, plus he will also be able to generate a couple of laughs that weren’t even in the script just through his timing and skills. Plus, like his Fargo brethren, Steve Buscemi, he’s kind of funny looking too; which is always good for a few laughs. However that doesn’t mean that he will truly be able to elevate a woeful script, and it will now be up to whoever writes the sequel to get it just right.

The sad news here is that Billy Bob Thornton has been talking about a Bad Santa 2 since September 2009, so there are still plenty of reasons to be skeptical that it will ever happen. I still really hope it does, though. Bad Santa was a delightful romp and there was plenty of scope left for a sequel to at least provide a few laughs if not a bunch of them.

Entourage The Movie is now a thing, baby! The film started shooting this January, reuniting the cast of the hit HBO series for a big, sexy, Mark Wahlberg-produced bash. Back are your old favorites, like Vince, the pretty one, the Dillon sibling, the short dude, and Jeremy Piven! And they’re about to be joined by vampires! And Billy Bob Thornton! The distinction may be redundant!

THR describes Thornton’s role as if it will fit like a black leather glove: he’ll play a billionaire cowboy turned film financier who gambles on Adrian Grenier's Vinny Chase to star in a mega blockbuster. Thornton, who seems like he’s been 44 years old forever, will mostly be overseeing the production from afar, as his character will have a twentysomething son on set monitoring the action and ensuring his investment is sound. In other words, Thornton could be literally phoning this performance in, something he’s done before many times, figuratively or otherwise. The synopsis doesn’t reveal what happens to Thornton’s son, but chances are he finds himself at odds with Chase’s entourage. Oooh, maybe he’s got his own entourage! This should have been a musical.

The best part about all of this: Thornton’s billionaire is actually pooling money into a Vinny Chase-led Dracula movie! Yep, the wooden Grenier is going to get a chance to wear some fake teeth and skulk in the shadows as he seduces, then enslaves a bevy of beautiful ladies. Knowing Entourage, they’re probably just going to dress Chase’s Dracula in modern skinny jeans and give him a five o’clock shadow. But wouldn’t it be great if Chase was an old-school cape-and-pallid-skin Drac, mewling about the children of the night?

Doug Ellin is currently directing the film, though the expectation is that more casting will be announced soon. Not like they should have to look very far: HBO had a budget generous enough to allow for massive guest-starring spots for the likes of Wahlberg, Scott Caan (who has been hanging out on set, according to recent Instagram photos, suggesting he’s in this too), Carla Gugino, William Fichtner, Gary Cole, Malcolm Macdowell, Sasha Grey, Mandy Moore, Andrew Dice Clay, Edward Burns, Kate Mara, Alice Eve, Leighton Meester, Bob Odenkirk, Seth Green, Stellan Skarsgaard, Anna Faris, Johnny Galecki, Gary Busey, Malin Akerman, Giovanni Ribisi and Peter Stormare. And those are just the names that did arcs on the series; many others stopped by for one episode each, including Val Kilmer’s memorable cameo as The Sherpa, one of the show’s comedic high points.

Thornton is typically as busy as ever: among the many parts he’s got developing in the coming year is a role in The Judge as a character named Dwight Dickham, maybe the most Billy Bob Thornton-esque name ever invented. He’s also in the pretty-badass sounding Endangered with James Marsden, Thomas Jane, and a nasty grizzly bear. His upcoming standout part, however, is likely in FX’s Fargo, loosely based on the film, and certain to catch more eyeballs than anything Thornton’s done in awhile.

Even though the new poster seen above for the upcoming survival horror Endangered is pretty bland, two things immediately stick out. One, it looks almost exactly like one of the Inglorious Basterds posters that promoted Quentin Tarantino’s film. (You can find it at the bottom of the page for a handy reference.) The second thing quite literally sticks out of the side of actor Billy Bob Thornton’s head, and it’s the entire left side of his face, which just kind of droops there, with his ear hovering above like an angel's halo made out of melted cheese. I have to assume whoever he’s pointing that gun at is staring at him with saucer-wide eyes and a sneer sharp enough to slice a hair.

We’ve also got quite a few new stills from the film, courtesy of Blairwitch.de, including the shot from which the poster image is taken. I think we can safely assume the ear wound is the work of a grizzly bear, as Thornton plays a bear hunter who has been waiting his entire life to kill him a bear. James Marsden plays a man recently released from prison who goes on a trip with his deputy brother (Thomas Jane), and his future sister-in-law (Piper Perabo) into the Alaskan wild. As you can imagine, a grizzly bear arrives and starts terrorizing our characters in no time. And then everyone’s paths cross and I’m assuming one of them makes it out alive. (Though he probably won’t just grin and bear it.)

So let’s take a look at some of what this film is all about, starting with Thornton’s most-of-a-head. I wonder if he’ll stash money there once it heals. Then you’ve got the bear causing a ruckus by growling and what not, followed by Jane and Marsden pointing guns; one is a flare gun, but still. And we end on one of the grossest chewed-up prosthetics I’ve seen in a while. Good luck not dreaming about those bubble gum gashes tonight.

Endangered was directed by David Hackl, who last gifted the world with Saw V, and was co-written by Guy Moshe (Bunraku), Rick Cleveland (House of Cards) and J.R. Reher (Killogy). You’ll be able to hunt it down in theaters and on VOD at a currently undisclosed date. I’d ask the bear, but I don’t think he’d tell me.

Here’s that Inglorious Basterds poster. Crazy, right?

Last fall, FX was reportedly adapting the iconic Coen brothers film, Fargo, for the small screen. This came up way back in September of last year and as other network and cable projects made it to pilot and we failed to hear from the Fargo project, it seemed like more of a rumor than an actually possibility. As it turns out, the drama was just slow out of the gate, and today the network finally announced it has a star attached in none other than Billy Bob Thornton.

Although Thornton did take some TV roles early on in his career, he’s mostly been known for feature films like Sling Blade and Bad Santa (he also directed All the Pretty Horses, but was apparently smart enough to avoid acting in that flop). In the Fargo adaptation, he’ll play Lorne Malvo, a man who has no qualms manipulating others, which is sort of similar to bad guy Carl Showalter in the 1996 film. In the limited series, Malvo will find a small-town insurance salesman and put him on a path toward destruction.

When we first heard about the Fargo television remake, we didn’t know much about the project, beyond the fact that it would be “loosely” based on the Coen brothers’ popular movie. At the time, word on the street was that the Coen brothers would actually sign on to executive produce the drama. Today, it was confirmed the two brothers will executive produce alongside Warren Littefield and Geyer Kosinski. Noah Hawley is penning the script and Bored to Death and Californication director Adam Bernstein has signed on to do the camera work for the premiere.

FX has signed on for a ten-episode limited run for the series, which means Fargo is really, truly happening--not just getting a pilot. However, if you were looking for just a rehash of the film, that doesn’t seem to be what audiences will be getting. Instead, Fargo will be a loose adaptation of the series, and will set-up a brand new “true crime” story with a new case and characters in a setting similar to the film. The series is expected to hit FX’s schedule in the spring of 2014.

With some of FX’s programming headed to FXX when that channel launches this September, it stands to reason that the network would need to beef up its programming lineup somewhat. This summer, The Bridge has done strongly for the network, but FX has plenty of other projects in the pipeline, including The Strain and a live-action comedy from Russell Brand.

Assumedly, the limited series aspect of this project helped FX to say “yes” first, and we’ll keep you posted as more details emerge. Until then, if you need a Fargo refresher, you can check out the original trailer for the film.

Robert Downey Jr. spent a lot of time looking for an actor to play his father in the upcoming David Dobkin film The Judge. Late last year the Iron Man star was trying hard to get Jack Nicholson to join, but when those plans fell through they signed Robert Duvall for the part. The casting news has been rolling in since, with it just being reported earlier today that Vincent D'onofrio has joined the production, and now we have yet another report to share.

Billy Bob Thornton, who just recently worked with Duvall on his directorial effort Jayne Mansfield's Car, is now in talks to play one of the central antagonists in the upcoming film, according to Variety. Based on an original script by Nick Schenk that was rewritten by Bill Dubuque, The Judge tells the story of a hot-shot lawyer (Downey Jr.) who returns to his hometown after being away for decades to attend his mother's funeral. When he arrives, however, he discovers that his estranged father, the local judge, is suspected of killing her. As the lawyer works to prove his dad's innocence, the two finally get to bond like they never got to when they were younger. Should he sign on, Thornton will be playing "the special prosecutor brought in to try Duvall’s character."

Thornton recently completed production on two films, including the Grizzly Bear thriller Red Machine; and the JFK assassination drama Parkland. He is also attached to star in the baseball comedy Three Nights, which is still in pre-production.