For years, Matthew McConaughey’s name has hovered over the Yellowstone universe, attached to a mysterious modern-day spinoff that once seemed destined to become one of Taylor Sheridan’s biggest projects. Yet as time passed and other series moved forward, including The Madison and Dutton Ranch, many fans naturally assumed the McConaughey project had quietly disappeared. Now, after more than two years of uncertainty and speculation, the Oscar-winning actor has finally addressed where things stand. His answer does not confirm that a Yellowstone spinoff is officially happening, but it makes one thing surprisingly clear: the possibility of McConaughey and Sheridan working together is still alive, and their conversations have never completely stopped.

The project was originally discussed under the working title “2024,” a name that reflected its intended place in the expanding Yellowstone timeline. While 1883 and 1923 explored earlier generations connected to the Dutton family, “2024” was expected to push the modern story forward. McConaughey was widely rumored to be the major star around whom the new series could be built. But 2024 came and went without the show materializing, and by 2026, the old title itself had become evidence of just how dramatically those original plans had stalled. Reports suggested that contract negotiations were part of the problem, along with McConaughey’s desire to see a script before formally committing to the project.

That reported request may have complicated matters because Sheridan is known for an unusual creative process. Rather than always completing a script and then finding an actor, he has sometimes selected performers first and shaped characters and stories around their personalities and strengths. McConaughey, meanwhile, appeared reluctant to make a major commitment without knowing exactly what the material would become. Whatever happened behind the scenes, the result was silence. For more than two years, there was little meaningful public information about whether McConaughey would ever enter Sheridan’s television world, leaving fans to wonder whether the proposed collaboration had simply collapsed before it could begin.

The uncertainty increased as Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe continued expanding without McConaughey. The Madison, led by Michelle Pfeiffer, emerged as another contemporary story connected to the wider franchise, while Dutton Ranch was developed around returning Yellowstone favorites Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser. With multiple modern projects moving ahead, it was easy to conclude that one of them had effectively taken the place of the earlier McConaughey concept. But Hauser complicated that assumption when he indicated that his project and The Madison had nothing to do with the series Sheridan and McConaughey had previously been discussing. That distinction reopened a door many viewers thought had already been permanently closed.

Now McConaughey himself has added considerably more fuel to that speculation. Speaking with The Playlist, the Academy Award-winning actor explained that his potential collaboration with Sheridan is neither significantly closer nor further away than it was when the original rumors dominated headlines. More importantly, he revealed that the two men have continued speaking about what a partnership between them might look like. “Taylor and I have spoken and have continued to have conversations about what (it could be) and if that would be whatever,” McConaughey explained, before adding the crucial qualification: “But nothing’s real yet.” Those final words stop well short of announcing a series, but the word “yet” leaves plenty of room for fans to imagine what could still happen.

That detail changes the picture surrounding the rumored project. McConaughey did not say that the original “2024” concept is being revived, nor did he confirm that he has signed a contract, received a finished script, or agreed to play a character connected to the Dutton family. In fact, his comments suggest that the situation remains fluid. What they do establish, however, is that the creative relationship between McConaughey and Sheridan has not vanished. The two continue discussing possibilities, meaning The Madison and Dutton Ranch did not necessarily close the door on another contemporary series. Instead, Sheridan’s expanding television universe could potentially have room for an entirely separate McConaughey-led story if the right idea finally brings them together.

The combination would certainly make sense creatively. Sheridan has built much of his television success around complicated characters shaped by land, family, loyalty, violence and changing American communities. McConaughey’s screen presence, especially his association with Texas and his ability to play reflective but rugged characters, seems naturally suited to that world. His recent film The Rivals of Amziah King has only strengthened that impression, placing him in another rural, music-infused environment. Sheridan frequently uses country and roots music as part of the emotional identity of his shows, so McConaughey’s connection to that atmosphere makes the possibility of a collaboration even more intriguing. A Texas-set story, in particular, could allow Sheridan to create something related in spirit to Yellowstone without simply repeating the Montana ranch formula.

For now, however, fans should separate possibility from confirmation. There is still no officially announced McConaughey-led Yellowstone series, and his latest remarks make clear that “nothing’s real yet.” But after years in which many believed the project had been replaced or abandoned, the revelation that McConaughey and Sheridan are still discussing potential ideas is significant. The most intriguing development may not be the resurrection of the old “2024” concept at all, but the possibility that their conversations could eventually produce something different. With The Madison and Dutton Ranch already occupying important places in the modern Yellowstone landscape, a McConaughey collaboration could introduce another branch rather than compete with them. Nothing has been finalized, but the door remains open—and after years of silence, that alone is enough to put one of Yellowstone’s most fascinating unrealized partnerships back into the spotlight.