The past month or so has been a hectic one for the Yellowstone rumor mill, thanks to reports claiming Paramount Network’s flagship western could be in danger of ending prematurely thanks to alleged disputes between Kevin Costner and producers over production schedules. It doesn’t seem like anything so drastic will actually happen, but with the back half of Season 5 still unrealized, the potential for chaos is palpable. Which means we could all use a bit of good news, and in this case, it’s coming in the form of “we live in a world where the possibility exists for Keanu Reeves to be a Yellowstone guest star.”
One might have thought we were already living in that world weeks, months, or even years before now, but no. We cannot simply assume that the Matrix actor would be down to bring his special set of acting skills into Taylor Sheridan’s meticulously crafted world(s). But now Keanu Reeves has done the world a favor and put his interests out there, so the ball is now in Sheridan & Co’s court. Or maybe it’s not quite so serious, but still. While speaking with ET Canada about the impending release of John Wick 4 (which has already earned excellent reviews), Reeves was asked about popping up as a small screen guest star, with Yellowstone specifically referenced. He responded with:
I’d love to do a western, so yeah. Yeah, sure.
Clearly, that’s not as good as Reeves’ signatures atop whatever dotted lines populate Yellowstone-related contracts, but it’s leaps and bounds closer to reality than me scrawling “‘Ted’ Theodore Dutton” on notebook covers in Sharpie. Not that I’ve done that or anything, but DON’T LOOK AT MY NOTEBOOKS.
Realistically (or whatever passes for that here), I don’t foresee the Bill & Ted thesp factoring into the Dutton’s bloodline, at least in the current timeline. The Costner-led ensemble currently populating Paradise Valley is pretty full, and I can’t even fool myself into thinking Keanu Reeves would pull off a convincing enough accent to match the others. Kelly Reilly is British and pulls it off swimmingly enough, but the actor obviously has a signature non-drawl going for him. Could his midwest-to-southern accent have advanced so majorly since Sam Raimi’s The Game? I mean, maybe, but what if we didn’t have to worry about it?
Reeves could join the story as a complete outsider visiting Montana for one reason or another, of course. Or it might be better for Taylor Sheridan to utilize his talents in one of the many spinoffs and prequels that have spawned from the mothership series. Both 1883 and 1923 are full-on westerns in a traditional sense, which is presumably what the actor would be interested in more so than something set in the modern day. Not that I'd ever turn down a chance to see Reeves squaring off against Cole Hauser's Rip, or facing the wrath of Kevin Costner's John.
I realize how unlikely this all sounds, especially since Keanu Reeves was answering Yellowstone-centered question. But if he actually did want to take part, there's no reason to think Sheridan would balk at bringing him in. After all, he landed Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and Timothy Dalton for 1923's cast, while 1883 was fronted by Sam Elliott, with winning lead turns from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; to say nothing of that Tom Hanks cameo. (The show also counts Arnold Schwarzenegger as a huge fan and occasional cosplayer.) And then outside of Yellowstone, Sylvester Stallone is gearing up for a second season of Tulsa King, Jeremy Renner is promoting the second season of Mayor of Kingstown, and we're awaiting new projects with stars such as David Oyelowo, Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman, and Billy Bob Thornton, for an impressive shortlist.
And considering the Kevin Costner rumors were coupled with the idea that Matthew McConaughey could be courted for his own Yellowstone-adjacent drama, there may come a day when it'll seem weird for Keanu Reeves NOT to be in a Taylor Sheridan TV show. So any assumptions that his current Hollywood status could keep him away from cable or streaming TV is probably not the wisest of guesses to make.
While waiting to hear if anything comes from the above, be sure to watch Keanu Reeves making ass-whooping action look easy when John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on Friday, March 24.
