Yellowstone Creator Sued: Was Montana Show Stolen?

I should probably start this off by sharing (or rather, admitting) with you that I've never once seen an episode of Yellowstone. And I honestly don't know why - maybe I just never cared for it, maybe I felt like the show was a sales pitch to move to Montana, etc.

For whatever reason, I just never got into it. That said, since moving to Montana, I've learned that the show has created entertainment industry jobs for Montanans that otherwise wouldn't have gotten a chance to work on a big production.

On the other hand, I've also shared how the show's creator has seemingly gone all in in Montana by creating numerous shows that take place in the state.

But is he truly the original mastermind behind Yellowstone?

Yellowstone Creator Sued, Lawsuit Alleges He Stole the Idea for the Show

Yeah, this a pretty serious allegation considering the legacy of the show and how it propelled Sheridan into an elite stratosphere within the entertainment industry.

A screenwriter named Lauren Salkin alleges Sheridan stole the idea and premise of Yellowstone from her idea for a show called Sovereign Nation.

According to court documents:

"Lauren Salkin spent more than a decade developing Sovereign Nation, a dramatic television series centered on tribal governance, casino driven economic power, and a modern war over land and development. The federal copyright record documents successive registered versions of the project beginning in 2010. By late 2016, Salkin had completed a Pilot Script, a Show Bible, and a detailed pitch Deck; had obtained commitments from established actors and director Rodrigo García; and was actively submitting the project for production. Only then did the project reach Sheridan’s representatives."

How Did Taylor Sheridan Allegedly "Steal" Her Idea?

The lawsuit alleges that Salkin submitted her ideas and work to Sheridan's team and representatives in late 2016, early 2017.

ALSO READ: How Many Shows Has Taylor Sheridan Made About Montana?

According to documents, Sheridan's team allegedly responded to her submission with: "Taylor thanks you very much for your interest. Unfortunately, he’s unavailable for TV projects."

It was only a few months later that Paramount greenlit Yellowstone with the first episode airing on June 20, 2018.

The lawsuit cites several elements from Salkin's pitch that ended up in Yellowstone including: "a tribal casino functioning as the institutional center of political
and development power; a signature confrontation staged in the tribal chairman’s
casino office over expansion beyond reservation boundaries; the use of trust land, the
absence of zoning restrictions, and a 99-year lease structure as the concrete
mechanism for that expansion; and recurring master-plan imagery deployed to
dramatize the struggle for territorial control."

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Salkin even "depicted and proposed" that actors Danny Huston and Gil Birmingham be among the principal characters... both of whom would appear on Yellowstone in what Salkin's lawsuit describes as "materially parallel structural roles: Birmingham as the tribal political leader whose authority and development strategy run through the casino, and Huston as the outside development power broker who supplies the political or commercial path for that expansion."

What Do You Think of the Yellowstone Lawsuit Allegation?

Salkin is obviously looking to get credit and some money for her work, but what do you think?

Do these allegations ruin Sheridan's collection of Montana shows for you? Do you think the cash-in on Montana should cease to continue or does a lawsuit like this hurt the entertainment industry in Montana?

Share your thoughts with me HERE.