The new Yellowstone spinoff filming outside Dallas is actually a previously reported show focused on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, two leading characters from the hit TV Western.
The spinoff was called Rio Palo when filming in the small town of Ferris, south of Dallas, was announced earlier this month. At the time, it was unclear how the series fit into Fort Worth-raised show creator Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding TV universe.
Dani Weinstein, chief communications officer for 101 Studios, said in a Monday email that Rio Palo was a placeholder name.
The North Texas production has been for Dutton Ranch, a spinoff following Beth (Kelly Reilly) and her husband Rip (Cole Hauser) after the events of Yellowstone’s fifth season, which wrapped in December.
Weinstein did not immediately reply for further comment on why a placeholder was needed.
For a brief refresher (it can be hard to keep track of all the Sheridan shows!), Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John (Kevin Costner), who fend off outsiders seeking to take control of their sprawling cattle ranch in Montana.
In the second half of the fifth season, John is killed in an arranged hit. Suspecting her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) of foul play, Beth kills him in the finale. The season ends with Beth, Rip and Carter, a young boy who was taken in by the couple, leaving to settle on a new ranch elsewhere in Montana.
Hauser spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in June about reprising his role as Rip.
“I’m excited just like everybody else,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what they come up with. Hopefully, we’ll start seeing stuff soon.”
Production has been ramping up, with recent casting calls for extras in Cleburne and Rio Vista, outside Fort Worth.
