Tim McGraw Shares First Pic From the Set of ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ [Picture]
Tim McGraw turned to social media to share a picture from the set of the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff 1883, giving fans their first official look inside the production.
The country superstar shared the shot below via Instagram on Thursday (Sept. 16), showing his folding chair on the outdoor set of the show. 1883 follows the early Dutton family on a harsh journey west from Texas to Montana, where they will eventually establish the sprawling ranch that provides the setting for the hit Paramount Network show.
The picture certainly appears to confirm the authenticity of the shooting. McGraw's no-frills folding camping chair bears his name, and that's about as much luxury as the cast and crew of the show appear to get as they shoot massive, difficult sequences involving actual wagon trains that cameras follow as they move through the real-life locations. Some rudimentary tent structures appear in the background of McGraw's shot, which could be sets of the simple tents the settlers put up as they pitch camps during their arduous journey toward a better life. There's also what appears to be a covered wagon in the distance.
"Hanging out in #1883," McGraw captions his picture.
McGraw and his wife Faith Hill star in 1883 as James and Margaret Dutton, the patriarch and matriarch of the Dutton clan. They are the great-grandparents of Kevin Costner's Yellowstone character, John Dutton.
Billy Bob Thornton has signed on in a guest role as Marshal Jim Courtright, marking a reunion of sorts; Thornton and McGraw previously starred together in the acclaimed 2004 film Friday Night Lights.
The cast of1883 also includes Isabel May (Alexa & Katie), who will play the role of James and Margaret Dutton's oldest daughter, Elsa. Her character will provide much of the show's perspective. LaMonica Garrett (Designated Survivor, Sons of Anarchy) will portray the assistant to Pinkerton agent Shea Brenna, played by Sam Elliott.
The budgets for 1883 are reportedly even larger than Yellowstone's enormous budgets due to the show's epic visual scale. The production calls for 30 actual wagon trains, and producers also had to build an entire town to the architecture of the 1880s, as well as recreate authentic guns, saddles, wardrobe and virtually every other piece of physical material that will appear onscreen.
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan wrote all of the scripts for the initial 10-episode first season of 1883, and he's also directing the pilot episode. The show began shooting in Texas in late August.
The Paramount Network has announced that 1883 will premiere on Dec. 19 via their streaming service, Paramount+. Subscribe to the streaming service to make sure you don't miss out.