Writer sues Taylor Sheridan, alleges Yellowstone stolen from her 2016 pitch
A new lawsuit claims Taylor Sheridan's hit drama Yellowstone was lifted from another writer's original concept. According to Variety, writer Lauren J. Salkin filed a copyright infringement suit on Friday, naming Sheridan, 101 Studios, Paramount, and Elevate Entertainment as defendants.
Salkin alleges she pitched her own sprawling Western series, Sovereign Nation, to Sheridan's management company, Elevate Entertainment, back in 2016. Per the suit, she was told Sheridan was "unavailable for TV projects." TheWrap reports the lawsuit claims Yellowstone was greenlit by Paramount just months after that rejection, with its first episode airing in June 2018.
The court documents list several specific elements that Salkin says were copied. These include a tribal casino serving as a political power center, a key confrontation in a tribal chairman's office over land expansion, and the use of trust land and 99-year leases as a development mechanism.
Salkin also states her original pitch deck suggested actors Danny Huston and Gil Birmingham for roles. Both were later cast in Yellowstone, playing what the suit describes as "materially parallel" characters to those in her concept.
Representatives for Sheridan and the other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment from either outlet. The suit seeks unspecified damages and a trial by jury.
