Taylor Sheridan faces lawsuit alleging Yellowstone was copied from 2016 pitch

Taylor Sheridan is accused of copying elements of Yellowstone from a writer’s 2016 pitch in a new copyright lawsuit

Taylor Sheridan has been accused of using elements from a 2016 television pitch to develop Yellowstone, according to a copyright lawsuit filed against the creator and several companies involved with the hit Western drama.

Writer Lauren J. Salkin filed the lawsuit on Friday, naming Sheridan, 101 Studios, Paramount and Elevate Entertainment as defendants. According to court documents obtained by Variety, Salkin claims she pitched her original Western drama, Sovereign Nation, to Sheridan’s management company, Elevate Entertainment, in 2016.

The lawsuit alleges that Salkin was told Sheridan was unavailable for television projects. However, her lawyers claim that Yellowstone was greenlit by Paramount within months of the pitch being rejected.

The series premiered on Paramount Network in June 2018 and went on to become one of television’s most successful Western dramas.

Salkin alleges that Yellowstone contains several specific elements from her proposed series, including a tribal casino serving as a centre of political and development power. Her lawsuit also points to story elements involving trust land, zoning restrictions and a 99-year lease structure as mechanisms driving the conflict.

The writer further claims that she proposed actors Danny Huston and Gil Birmingham for Sovereign Nation. Both actors later appeared in Yellowstone, with Birmingham portraying tribal leader Thomas Rainwater and Huston playing development figure Dan Jenkins.

Salkin’s attorneys argue that the similarities between the projects go beyond shared Western themes and constitute evidence of copying when considered alongside the alleged access and timing.

Representatives for Sheridan, 101 Studios, Paramount and Elevate Entertainment did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.