“Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan is leaving Paramount for a new pact at NBCUniversal, with an eight-year film deal beginning in 2026 and a separate television deal commencing at the end of 2028. The value tops $1 billion, and NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios chair Donna Langley personally courted Sheridan in Weatherford, Texas. Exclusive reporting at TheWrap says Langley aimed to make him “the Big Fish,” with the TV portion starting after his current Paramount obligations expire.
Multiple outlets framed the shift as the end of Sheridan’s long Paramount chapter. Wall Street Journal coverage dated October 27, 2025 reported the move to NBCUniversal, while Hollywood Reporter noted the move was “not yet” official even as Comcast leadership publicly discussed it.
Timeline & the money
TheWrap details two distinct clocks: a film pact that “starts in 2026 and will run for eight years,” and a television pact that “starts at the end of 2028,” with an overall guarantee “over $1 billion.” Sheridan’s film deal at Paramount ends in March 2026, creating the runway for a Universal film slate first, followed by TV once the Paramount agreement sunsets.
Houston Chronicle coverage adds a second timing marker used across the industry chatter: a “five-year television contract that would start in 2029,” alongside the chance to make feature films “the next year.” The Chron also characterizes the total as “up to $1 billion,” dependent on output.
Why leave now? Friction points at Paramount
TheWrap reports that Sheridan felt “the shift in focus” under CEO David Ellison and executive Cindy Holland, including notes on a show, a pass on a pitch titled “The Correspondent,” and pushback on the Special Ops: Lioness budget. One source says Langley “offered him to be the Big Fish” and that “Cindy wasn’t focused on him… Ellison took his eye off the ball.”
Chron reporting lines up with that portrait and goes further. The outlet recounts a rejected feature script titled “Capture The Flag,” early resistance over Sheridan taking his thriller “F.A.S.T.” to Warner Bros., and even a dust‑up when Nicole Kidman was cast in another series without a heads‑up—awkward news Sheridan allegedly learned “while having dinner with Kidman.” The piece also mentions criticism over mounting budgets and a broader corporate belt‑tightening that included “over 2000 layoffs.”
What happens to “Yellowstone” and the Sheridan-verse?
TheWrap underscores that Sheridan’s current Paramount television obligations run “through 2028,” so he “won’t be abandoning his ongoing Paramount+ shows just yet.” The list is long: the flagship “Yellowstone,” historical spinoffs “1883” and “1923,” the Jeremy Renner drama “Mayor of Kingstown,” the Sylvester Stallone vehicle “Tulsa King,” the Nicole Kidman/Zoe Saldaña thriller “Special Ops: Lioness,” and the Billy Bob Thornton oil‑patch series “Landman.”
CBR’s read cautions that Paramount will “at least attempt to keep the Yellowstone franchise going” even as Sheridan’s focus eventually shifts, signaling that brand management at Paramount remains a priority beyond the creator’s personal move.
Cast, creators & power players named in the move
- Donna Langley courted Sheridan in Texas and now oversees entertainment across Peacock, Bravo and NBC.
- David Ellison is the new Paramount CEO post‑Skydance merger; Cindy Holland runs Paramount TV.
- David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, also flew to Texas during the courtship, even as Paramount has angled to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Stars across Sheridan’s shows include Kevin Costner, Jeremy Renner, Sylvester Stallone, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña and Billy Bob Thornton.
- Chron’s context also references the duo behind “South Park,” listing “Matt Smith and Trey Parker,” plus the “Duffer Brothers.” Note: “Matt Smith” appears to be a typographical error for Matt Stone.
Is it official? The “not yet” wrinkle
A Hollywood Reporter update published within hours of this piece notes the move is “not yet” formally official, even as a Comcast co‑CEO publicly signaled confidence. That nuance matters for timelines and for how Paramount positions its franchises in the near term.
Where NBCUniversal fits the Sheridan playbook
TheWrap positions the NBCU pact as roughly “double what Sheridan had at Paramount,” and quotes an NBCU insider framing the upside: “In success, if he’s doing what he did for Paramount, that’s an extraordinarily great number for everybody.” The story also notes how Langley’s purview spans studio and platform marketing, which can concentrate launch energy across Universal Pictures and Peacock.
What this means for fans and for the business
Over the next three years, viewers should expect business‑as‑usual on Paramount and Paramount+, where Sheridan already delivers. The decisive shifts hit after 2028 when his NBCU television starts. The film side could arrive sooner, given the 2026 start. The $1 billion‑plus valuation implies a large, branded pipeline at Universal and on Peacock, while Paramount must tend the Yellowstone universe without the day‑to‑day presence of the brand’s chief architect.
The bottom line on Taylor Sheridan
Taylor Sheridan built Paramount+ with Yellowstone and its offshoots, but the center of gravity shifts after 2028. TheWrap’s exclusive outlines the money and travel that sealed it; WSJ provides the broad move context; Chron details frictions from “Capture The Flag” to “F.A.S.T.” The headline story remains clear: the “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan exits Paramount for NBCUniversal—on a clock that starts with movies in 2026 and television by 2029.
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