‘Yellowstone’ creator Taylor Sheridan’s $330M ranch purchase led to new deal with Paramount

Taylor Sheridan was ready to kick his feet up and retire before deciding to buy a second ranch in Texas.

During a recent appearance on the “Rodeo Time” podcast, the 56-year-old writer and director discussed how buying the Four Sixes Ranch for $330 million prevented him from retiring and led him to sign an exclusivity deal with Paramount.

“I was set up to retire. I was going to be done after ‘Yellowstone.’ I’d bought the ranch in Weatherford, and I paid cash. I didn’t owe anybody anything,” he said.

“And I was going to put my feet up and show horses and have my little hobby herd over here and that was it. I knew that if I bought this ranch that I was not going to be quitting my day job for a while.”

He explained that before buying the ranch he needed to make sure the general manager would stay on to take care of the day-to-day duties and ensured his son was willing to take on the responsibility of running the ranch in the future.

The ranch served as the backdrop for several episodes of Season 4 of “Yellowstone,” and Sheridan first met its then-owner, Anne Marion, while arranging to film there.

After Marion died, Sheridan recalled learning that the ranch had not been left to her daughter in her will and was going “to be broken up and sold off.”

“But before they did that, she had asked if they would try to find someone who would maintain her vision,” he said.

“And, so, the person they came up with was me.”

When they approached Sheridan with the $330 million price tag, he recalled telling them, “Well, boys, I’m a little short. I don’t have, in fact, I’m about 300 million short.”

“Paramount had been after me to make an overall deal. They were terrified that I was going to go to greener pastures and leave them and go somewhere else, which I probably was,” he said.

“So, they’d been for years trying to get me to sign an exclusive deal with Paramount, and I’d said no.”

“But once this happened, I called them and I said, ‘You know what? I think I’m ready to make an overall deal.’ They said, ‘That’s great. Do you have a number in mind?’ And I said, ‘Why, yes, I do. I sure do.'”

Sheridan led a group of investors that purchased the ranch, with the sale closing Jan. 21, 2022.

Since signing the deal with Paramount, Sheridan created “Mayor of Kingstown,” “1883,” “1923,” “Lioness,” “Landman,” “Tulsa King” and “The Madison.”

“Lioness” is airing its third season, and one of its stars, Michael Kelly, recently praised Sheridan for the quality of his work when speaking to ScreenRant earlier this month.

“I have told Taylor, I’m like, ‘Bro, anything you ever want me to do, I’ll do. I love being in Texas. I love saying your words.’ I think he’s truly a standalone talent,” he said. 

“There’s nobody who’s doing or has ever done what he’s doing. It’s incredible what he does. And he’s just one of the smartest dudes you’ll ever meet. He’s fricking brilliant, man. Brilliant. And just one of the greatest storytellers.”