‘Yellowstone’ Stars Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser May Turn Down Spin-Off Over Pay Dispute: Report

Yellowstone‘s stars certainly understand the show’s hype, and are using it to their benefit in salary negotiations.

A recent report from Puck revealed that Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes are in talks to return for the show’s latest spin-off, per TVLine. According to Puck, Reilly and Hauser are vying for significant pay increases if they are to come back for the spin-off.

Reilly, who stars as Beth Dutton on Taylor Sheridan‘s hit western series, originally requested $1.5 million per episode, but “in recent communications that number has come down to $1.2 million an episode.” Meanwhile, Hauser, who plays Dutton’s love interest, Rip Wheeler, originally requested $1.25 million per episode.

Grimes is reportedly more lax about a raise than his two co-stars, and no further information about his pay conditions was included in the Puck report.

The pay plot thickens, as the three actors are all considered “pay-or-play” for Yellowstone‘s canceled sixth season, despite news breaking last May that the show would wrap after its fifth season. This means that they all will receive pay for Season 6, even if they don’t take part in the new spin-off.

Nonetheless, Paramount and 101 Studios have said they could use the money the actors are owed from Season 6 toward their salary increase requests. However, the actors felt as though they would be getting paid with money they already earned.

While the leads have not yet been confirmed, another request of Reilly and Hauser’s is that they be listed at the top of the call sheet, above whoever is cast as the series leads. The actors were issued a deadline of this week to decide on their return.

Two actors reportedly in negotiations to star in the new series are Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer, the latter of whom is expected to make a decision “in the next week or two.” As for McConaughey — who was described by Sheridan as “a natural fit” for the new project last June — the actor has yet to opt in until he gets to see a script.

All five seasons of Yellowstone are streaming on Peacock Premium.