1923 season 2 will leave Montana and shoot in a new location, according to a new report. Serving as a prequel to Yellowstone and a sequel to 1883, 1923 follows Jacob and Cara Dutton (Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, respectively) as they navigate life at their ranch in Montana following World War I. After the Taylor Sheridan show earned positive reviews and was a viewership hit, 1923 season 2 was confirmed in February 2023. Last summer it was reported that season 2 had lost its Butte Civic Center sound stage due to delays from the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Now, a new report from Austin Business Journal reveals that 1923 season 2 will not be returning to film in Montana at all, and will instead be moving production to ATX Film Studios in South Austin, Texas. Season 1 also filmed in South Africa, Malta, and Kenya, but it’s unclear if any additional location shooting outside of Texas will occur on season 2. Chief executive of Butte-Silver Bow County J.P. Gallagher shared the following statement to Montana Standard about the decision:
“The decision to film the Yellowstone series of ‘1923’ in Texas is disappointing. Nevertheless, we respect the production team’s decision and acknowledge that these choices are influenced by factors beyond our control.
“We were in talks with the production about ‘1923’ coming back to Butte because of the positive experience they had here, but state tax incentive programs were a major factor for the production to move to Texas.”
Montana Has Been Crucial To The Yellowstone Universe
Will The Move To Texas Have An Effect On 1923 Season 2?
In many ways, it’s not hard to see the Yellowstone universe as one big love letter to the state of Montana. Yellowstone takes place and is primarily filmed in the state, chronicling patriarch John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) attempts to protect his land. 1883 doesn’t start in Montana, but it does end up there, with filming having begun in Texas before concluding in Montana. Paradise Valley, in particular, becomes a key part of the emotional 1883 ending.
Montana is also a central location in 1923 as Jacob and Cara contend with droughts, Prohibition, and even the early days of the Great Depression. The location doesn’t just provide a beautiful backdrop for the action and the arcs of the 1923 cast, but the state’s real-world history, to a certain degree, plays into the larger story being told. The Yellowstone universe and Montana, then, have long been closely linked.
It remains to be seen what effect the 1923 season 2 move to Texas will have on the show, but it’s likely there won’t be a drastic change in visuals. It’s also possible that the season’s storyline will somehow explain this change. Many questions remain about 1923 season 2, but the new season is evidently leaving a core part of the show’s identity behind.
What Does The Future Of The Yellowstone Universe Look Like After 1923 Season 2?
Taylor Sheridan Has Three Spinoffs In Development
The larger Yellowstone universe has been a massively successful venture, but the franchise is set to undergo some changes in the near future. While viewers have 1923 season 2 to look forward to, further bridging the gap between 1883 and Yellowstone, the mothership series is now set to come to an end. Yellowstone season 5 part 2 will end Sheridan’s hit neo-Western, bringing that particular chapter of the story to a close.
Star Brandon Skelnar also revealed last year that 1923 season 2 will be the last one. Two major series in the Yellowstone universe, then, are set to come to an end, but Sheridan has plans to continue his hit franchise with several different spinoff ventures. One of these expansions is the Yellowstone 6666 spinoff series, which will further explore the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas. This show was first announced back in 2021 and is expected to take place in the present day.
Also in the works is a spinoff called 2024. This show, it has been reported, could feature some characters from the Yellowstone cast crossing over, and Matthew McConaughey was once thought to be eyed to star, though it’s unclear if this is still the case. Continuing the year-titled spinoffs is the annouced 1944 prequel, which would jump forward in time from 1923 to tell a story during World War II. How far along in development these three shows are, though, remains something of a question mark, and none of them have firm release dates.
1883 & 1923 Show Yellowstone’s Best Path Forward
Where The Yellowstone Universe Could Go Next
It remains to be seen what Yellowstone spinoff projects will actually move forward and which ones will move to the backburner, but, as seen in the chart below, both 1883 and 1923 have been very well received, not to mention widely viewed. While further exploring the world that Sheridan created in the present day could certainly fill the void that the Yellowstone series finale will surely create, the prequels are accomplishing something unique in the TV space. Viewers have now charted one family’s evolution across about 150 years.
After 1923 comes to a close, 1944 could shed light on the Dutton family life during a period of turmoil in the world, but it’s not hard to see where the show could go next. Setting a Yellowstone spinoff during the 1960s would also make for an interesting backdrop given the rise of counterculture, the Civil Rights movement, and divisiveness over the Vietnam War during that period. 1923 may be ending this particular chapter of the Dutton family story, but there’s evidently still a lot of room for the Yellowstone franchise to grow.