Taylor Sheridan is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from writer and entertainment journalist Lauren J. Salkin. She claims she created the building blocks for “Yellowstone” and submitted her work to Sheridan’s production company before the hit series was made. Meanwhile, Josh Radnor recently provided an update on the “How I Met Your Mother” cast.
Taylor Sheridan Faces Copyright Lawsuit
According to TMZ, Salkin filed the federal lawsuit in California on Friday. She named Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal as defendants. Salkin claims she submitted a pilot script called “Sovereign Nation” between 2016 and 2017.
She also sent supporting materials with the script. Salkin says those materials reached Sheridan’s production company. She points to a response from Elevate Entertainment as evidence.
“Taylor thanks you very much for your interest,” the message stated. It then said Sheridan was unavailable for TV projects.
Salkin claims “Yellowstone” was greenlit within months of her submissions. The series premiered in June 2018. She argues that the similarities between the two projects are too extensive to be coincidental.
What Taylor Sheridan Says About “Yellowstone”
The lawsuit’s timeline is complicated by an earlier account from Sheridan.
A June 2023 IndieWire report refers to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in which Sheridan discussed the development of “Yellowstone.” He said the project was originally developed at HBO before eventually moving to Paramount.
He had pitched the series as “‘The Godfather’ in Montana” and wanted Kevin Costner to play John Dutton. HBO executives, however, “didn’t see it” and wanted Robert Redford in the role instead.
Taylor Sheridan said HBO told him, “If you can get us Robert Redford, we’ll greenlight the pilot.” He then traveled to Sundance, met with Redford and secured his agreement to play John Dutton. Sheridan called the HBO executive to share the news, the executive replied that they meant a “Robert Redford type.”
After HBO passed on the project, Sheridan said he could not take “Yellowstone” elsewhere until programming president Michael Lombardo left the network in 2016. Once Lombardo departed, Sheridan took the script to TNT and TBS before it eventually landed at Paramount.
Taylor Sheridan has previously offered another explanation for the series. As reported by Page Six, he said his “Yellowstone” career was inspired by “Lonesome Dove,” which he discovered while in college.
“Yellowstone”‘s history as provided by Taylor Sheridan provides important context for the timeline surrounding the lawsuit.
Salkin Points to Characters and Storylines
According to the TMZ report, Salkin included a character-by-character breakdown in her lawsuit. She claims several major characters in “Yellowstone” resemble characters from her own work.
She also alleges similarities in the storylines. The conflict over land and development is among the elements she says overlap. Salkin further claims the overall tone of the projects is similar.
Salkin is seeking an injunction to stop what she describes as ongoing and future copyright infringement. She is also seeking unspecified damages.
The original series ended its fifth season in 2024. It has since expanded into a franchise with several spinoffs.
The lawsuit’s claims have not been proven in court. For now, the case places Taylor Sheridan and the origins of one of television’s biggest modern Western franchises under renewed scrutiny. Elsewhere, the 90s child star who played Jim Carrey’s son in “Liar Liar” has been looking back on his time working with the comedy legend.
