Writer Sues Taylor Sheridan, Claims 'Yellowstone' Was Built From Her Rejected Pitch
The suit says Sheridan copied specific expressive choices from a decade-long tribal governance drama and seeks a jury trial, injunction and damages.
- On Friday, writer Lauren J. Salkin filed a federal copyright lawsuit accusing Taylor Sheridan, writer and director, of stealing the concept for his hit series 'Yellowstone.'
- Salkin spent more than 10 years developing 'Sovereign Nation,' a drama centered on tribal governance and land wars; after submitting her pitch to Sheridan's management in late 2016, she received a rejection before Paramount greenlit 'Yellowstone' months later.
- The lawsuit alleges 'Yellowstone' mirrors 'Sovereign Nation' through specific expressive choices including a tribal casino setting and 99-year lease structures; Salkin also claims Sheridan cast Danny Huston and Gil Birmingham after she suggested them in her pitch deck.
- Salkin is seeking damages, profits, and an injunction against future infringement; representatives for Sheridan, Paramount, 101 Studios, and NBCUniversal did not return requests for comment on Saturday.
- Legal counsel for Salkin describes the case as a 'David-versus-Goliath' battle, while the complaint asserts that subsequent 'Yellowstone' spinoffs including '1883' and '1923' are also based on her original copyrighted work.
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Taylor Sheridan, Paramount and NBC Universal are being sued by a writer who claims to have had the idea of "Yellowstone" stolen by the famous showrunner. The series starred by Kevin Costner had five seasons, between the years 2018 and 2024. Meghan Markle loses climb to Netflix series by rejection of the public in the UK, says ex-Vanity Fair ‘Our secret, by Grace Passô, conquers Gramado Festival; José Loreto and Lázaro Ramos receive Kikitos Accor…
The Independent
The Independent (US)Taylor Sheridan accused of stealing idea for Yellowstone in copyright lawsuit
Writer Lauren J Salkin claims ‘Yellowstone’ included ‘specific expressive choices already embodied’ in a show she pitched to Sheridan in 2016
If there is a series that has marked viewers in recent years, that is Yellowstone. Since its premiere in 2018, fiction has conquered millions of viewers with the story of the powerful Dutton family, led by John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, and owned one of the largest ranches in the United States. Now, eight years after its arrival on television, the series faces an unexpected judicial front. Its creator, Taylor Sheridan, has been sued for a…
Taylor Sheridan accused of stealing idea for 'Yellowstone'
Taylor Sheridan accused of stealing idea for 'Yellowstone'Taylor Sheridan is facing a new lawsuit from a television writer who claims he used her original concept to create his hit show Yellowstone.The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, names Sheridan, his management company, and both...
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