Storyline, cast, release date and everything else we know
The yellowstone Franchise has quickly become one of the most prominent entertainment ventures in modern media. The flagship series has the highest ratings of any scripted series on television, broadcast or cable. This success has led to a multi-series franchise made up of spin-offs 1883, 1923and the coming 1944 And 6666. We can probably expect thousands of additional offshoots to cover every other four-digit number there is. (By the way, everyone else’s first thought of Netflix’s mysterious sci-fi 1899 was part of this franchise? Dutton ancestors on a ship that warps the fabric of space and time might work.)
With rumors that the original series might be ending soon, it makes sense that Paramount would be heavily focused on spin-offs. One of Yellowstone’s The latest spin-offs, surprisingly, don’t have numbers. Of course we talk about Bass Reeves. In addition to the total lack of a four-digit title, Bass Reeves also represents a major difference from the rest of the franchise. It is based on a true story. The eponymous Bass Reeves was a real-life person and the first black Deputy US Marshal to operate west of the Mississippi River. Reeves was active in what is now Arkansas and Oklahoma in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
So what else do we know about the Bass Reeves split from yellowstone? Bringing a real person into an offshoot of a hugely popular scripted drama franchise is a bold move. How will Taylor Sheridan and the production team connect his story to the Dutton clan? Let’s look at everything we know Bass Reevesincluding plot, cast and expected release date.
Bass Reeves: The Storyline
As mentioned, Bass Reeves is a unique entry in the yellowstone Franchise as it is based on a real person. Born into slavery in 1838, Reeves gained his freedom after escaping compulsory service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He fled to live among Native American tribes and learn their languages and culture until he was officially freed from slavery by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.
Later, when he went into farming, a US Marshal heard about Reeves and how he could speak Native American languages. The marshal hired Reeves as the first black assistant marshal west of the Mississippi. As a deputy, Reeves hunted down some of the most wanted fugitives of the time and became a skilled detective and marksman. Towards the end of his life, Reeves switched careers and took a job as a police officer before dying (and possibly influencing the Lone Ranger) at the age of 71.
Of course, as with all “based on a true story” projects, we can expect the show Bass Reeves is likely to change some elements of the real man’s life by connecting with it yellowstone. A logline tells us that the prequel will “bring the legendary lawman of the Wild West to life. Known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, Reeves served as a federal peace officer in Indian Territory in the post-Reconstruction era, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”
Bass Reeves will be a semi-sequel series 1883, putting it in that weird category of shows that are both prequels and sequels. The plot is also reportedly heavily influenced by author Sidney Thompson’s historical novel trilogy, which details the life of Reeves. Given that 1883 followed the Dutton ancestors in post-Civil War Texas, we can assume family members might have encountered Reeves since he was operating in the same area around the same time. Apart from that, we don’t yet know how direct Bass Reeves will follow 1883 or the franchise as a whole. We can probably expect more storyline information to follow as production resumes.
Bass Reeves: The Cast
We can expect to see a new group of names Bass Reevesas there are currently no cast members out 1883 or any other yellowstone Shows are supposed to appear. Instead, actor David Oyelowo recently starred see how they run will take on the lead role from Bass Reeves himself.
Alongside Oyelowo, the cast includes big names like Dennis Quaid. Quaid will play Sherrill Lynn, another Deputy US Marshal and possible associate of Reeves. Forrest Goodluck from The revenant And cherry will play Billy Crow, a young Cherokee man with a unique style. Gaslits Lauren E. Banks plays Jennie Reeves, Bass’ devoted wife.
Actor Barry Pepper plays Esau Pierce, a hardened warrior and leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Grantham Coleman of Book of Power III: Raise Kanan stars Edwin Jones, a compelling man with a unique vision of the future that he will share with anyone who will listen. Finally Demi Singleton from King Richard rounds out the cast as Sally, Bass and Jennie’s precocious daughter.
We can likely expect additional cast information and potential appearances from other stars in the yellowstoneVerses to be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
Bass Reeves: The release date
There is currently no confirmed release date for Bass Reeves. However, we do know that it’s a limited series streaming on Paramount+. Filming began in January 2023, so a premiere later this year or early next could be plausible.
