Brandon Sklenar Returns to the Saddle Soon! Inside ‘The Rescue’ and His ‘Dream’ Reunion With This ‘Yellowstone’ Icon

If you’ve been missing your weekly dose of cowboy hats, dusty horizons and that quietly intense Brandon Sklenar gaze ever since 1923 wrapped, take a deep breath—because the man is officially climbing back into the saddle. Sklenar is leading a new Western called The Rescue, and it’s exactly the kind of project his Yellowstone-loving fans have been hoping for.

Even better news? He’s bringing some familiar faces with him.

A new Western, finally

The Rescue was actually first announced back in 2025 while 1923 was still airing on Paramount+. At the time, the casting news got a little buried—understandably, because most fans were too busy obsessing over Spencer and Alexandra to notice anything else. But now that the dust has settled on the Dutton saga, The Rescue is moving forward and pulling fans’ attention right where it belongs.

The film follows a popular rodeo cowboy whose entire world gets turned upside down when his daughter goes missing. It’s being described as a high-stakes adventure thriller—so think emotional gut punches, wide-open landscapes and a desperate father pushed to his limits. (If that doesn’t sound like the kind of role Sklenar was born to play, I don’t know what does.)

There’s another reason this project carries some weight: The Rescue is one of the very first films greenlit by Skydance–Paramount, the newly formed production partnership between Skydance and Paramount.

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to help lead this iconic brand into its next chapter. My experience at Skydance and across all levels of production has shown me what it takes to bring great stories to life—and just how powerful it is when visionary creators are supported by strong leadership and a clear mission,” David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, said of the merger in April 2025.

Translation for fans: this isn’t a small, throwaway project. It’s a flagship.

Josh Lucas is along for the ride

Now for the part that’s going to thrill anyone who’s spent the last several years deep in Taylor Sheridan’s universe: Josh Lucas is also in the cast.

Yes, that Josh Lucas. The one who played young John Dutton in Yellowstone from 2018 to 2022. Having him share the screen with Sklenar feels like a little gift to longtime fans—a quiet wink from the casting gods. His role in The Rescue hasn’t been announced yet, but just knowing two beloved Yellowstone-universe actors are sharing scenes is enough to start the countdown.

Lucas, 54, originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, brings a long résumé that includes Sweet Home Alabama, Glory Road and Ford v Ferrari—plus that Snowy River: The McGregor Saga run from the ’90s, which already had him doing the rugged-cowboy thing.

The rest of the cast is stacked

Joining Sklenar and Lucas is a genuinely impressive lineup:

• Josh Duhamel, 53, fresh off Netflix’s Western Ransom Canyon
• Tim Blake Nelson, 61, the Tulsa native and longtime character-actor favorite
• Nick Searcy, 67, best known to Western and crime-drama lovers from Justified
• Austin Amelio of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead
• Spencer Treat Clark of Animal Kingdom and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Lorelei Olivia Mote, the young actress who—given her age—will most likely play the missing daughter, though that hasn’t been officially confirmed

Behind the camera, the film is being directed by Potsy Ponciroli, written by John Fusco and produced by Shannon Houchins and Cliff Roberts.

And lucky for us, Ponciroli is a Western nerd in the best possible way. “I didn’t realize I was as big a fan until I started getting into it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter back in September 2021. “I grew up on Westerns like Young Guns and Tombstone and of course I loved Deadwood the show, but once I started [directing] I really did a deep dive into the old Westerns, like McCabe & Mrs Miller, which is fantastic.”

That kind of reverence for the genre is exactly what Yellowstone fans want from anyone making a new Western.

Sklenar has wanted this for a long time

Here’s the thing that makes The Rescue feel so right: Sklenar isn’t just doing another Western because his last one was a hit. He has been aching to make a proper one for years.

“The little kid in me, I would love to do a proper western—a proper, straight western—that has been a dream of mine for a long time. I kind of touch it a little bit in 1923, but that’s something that I would love to do,” Sklenar told Forbes in 2025.

He’s also been refreshingly open about how deep his love for the genre runs. “Both of my grandfathers loved Westerns. I grew up on them,” he told Behind the Blinds. “Once Upon a Time in the West is up there. The Man with No Name series from Sergio Leone. That’s a clear topper. Searchers. High Plains Drifter. Can’t really argue with Clint’s [Eastwood] impact on the genre and what he embodied in those films.”

That’s a man who knows what he’s doing.

And what about Spencer?

Don’t worry—he hasn’t closed that door, either. Even though 1923 wrapped its final season, Sklenar has made it clear he’s not ready to hang up Spencer Dutton’s hat for good.

“Give me some gout, a little hunch and some salt and pepper,” he joked to The Hollywood Reporter about a possible return in the rumored 1944. “I’ll gravel the voice up a bit. If it comes around, I’d love to do it. I really would. I definitely don’t want to say goodbye to Spencer. I love that guy.”

He also reflected on what wrapping the show meant to him: “It was incredibly emotional for a number of reasons. I was closing the book on that chapter of my life and then I was processing the last three years and the effect that it’s had on me. It was emotional, but not necessarily sad.”

Sklenar has repeatedly thanked Taylor Sheridan for changing his career. “I owe it all to this show. I was grinding for 12 to 13 years before that, and this was the thing that did it,” he told Esquire in February 2025. “For [Sheridan] to put that faith in me to play this incredible character he wrote, I’ll forever be in debt to him.”

When can we watch?

The Rescue is set to hit theaters on January 27, 2027. Yes, that’s a wait—the film is currently in pre-production, which means cameras haven’t even rolled yet. But for fans who’ve been begging Sklenar to return to the genre that made us fall for him in the first place, knowing it’s officially coming is more than enough to tide us over.

So pour yourself a coffee, queue up your favorite 1923 episode and start the countdown. Spencer may be on pause, but the cowboy isn’t going anywhere.