Paramount+ has added some serious star power to its Yellowstone universe, according to a new report. Annette Bening, fresh off her Oscar-nominated turn in Nyad, has officially joined the leading cast of The Dutton Ranch, the spin-off centered on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. She’ll star opposite Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Finn Little, all reprising their roles from the flagship series.

The new series, currently using The Dutton Ranch as a working title, picks up with Beth and Rip trying to hold on to the 7,000 acres they fought so hard for. The couple, now raising Carter, are determined to survive tough times and new threats, all while shaping Carter into the man he’s meant to be. Bening will play Beulah Jackson, the head of a massive Texas ranch who’s described as powerful, cunning, and charming — in other words, someone who could be a formidable rival or ally for Beth and Rip.

Chad Feehan (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) is on board as showrunner, with Taylor Sheridan executive producing alongside a long list of returning Yellowstone producers. According to reports, the series will stay in the present-day timeline and share more DNA with the original than any of Sheridan’s other spinoffs.

What Other Yellowstone Projects Are Coming Up?

For those keeping track, The Dutton Ranch joins a crowded Yellowstone slate. Prequels 1883 and 1923 have wrapped, but more new entries are on the way, including The Madison on Paramount+ (starring Michelle Pfeiffer) and Y: Marshals for CBS (with Luke Grimes leading as Kayce Dutton). Long-teased projects 1944 and 6666 are also still in development.

The original Yellowstone, co-created by Sheridan and John Linson, told the story of John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) and his family’s battle to keep control of the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the U.S. Reilly’s Beth and Hauser’s Rip quickly became fan favorites, their complicated romance anchoring much of the later seasons.

via Collider