As August comes to a close, Hollywood has been hit by some heat: A bidding war over a red-hot television project that included several major streamers — and with Netflix coming out on top.
The mysterious and as-yet-untitled project brings together three intriguing names: True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, his True Detective season one co-lead Matthew McConaughey and Yellowstone fan favorite Cole Hauser. Skydance Sports is the company behind the project.
Sources say Amazon, Apple and Netflix were on the court for this one, with Netflix winning. The project is considered in development with deals with McConaughey and Hauser to star are being finalized.
Notably absent from the mix was HBO, which has had a rocky relationship with Pizzolatto, who last year openly dissed the network’s fourth season of the anthology crime drama he created. McConaughey, meanwhile, was previously in talks to potentially star in a Yellowstone spinoff series. Creator Taylor Sheridan has instead developed a different Yellowstone spinoff titled The Dutton Ranch, starring Hauser and Kelly Reilly. Going back further, McConaughey and Hauser also starred in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, giving both actors early-career breakouts. So this new project is rather interesting combination of talent with an intertwining history.
Details are scarce, but the project is being referred to as “The Brothers Project” due to McConaughey and Hauser playing brothers. What kind of brothers and in what is setting is unclear, but given it’s from Skydance Sports, one imagines there’s a sports angle.
This is not to be confused with McConaughey’s other brothers project that also has ties to True Detective season one — an Apple TV+ comedy that has McConaughey re-teaming with Woody Harrelson.
Netflix had no comment on the project.
McConaughey has a notable fall ahead of him as he returns to movies for the first time since 2019. Among the films is The Lost Bus, a true life drama centered on the Camp Fire that is directed by Paul Greengrass. The movie is due to have its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival Sept. 5. He is repped by WME and Yorn Levine.
Pizzolatto will also be at TIFF this year. His crime drama Easy’s Waltz, which he wrote and directed and that stars Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino, is scheduled to premiere there. He is repped by WME and Anonymous Content.
Hauser has found renewed stardom thanks to his Yellowstone work, which has allowed him to focus on movies and other projects when he’s not in Sheridan Land. He is repped by IAG and Yorn Levine.
