Paramount Network officials revealed that a new spinoff series, dubbed 1944, is in development. News of the latest Taylor Sheridan project

to be greenlit came on Feb. 5th, when Paramount producers held a thank-you event in Hamilton, Montana to talk up the economic benefits brought to the area by Yellowstone and 1923, which film nearby.

According to Hamilton-based outlet Ravalli Republic, Executive Vice President of Yellowstone partner 101 Studios Tom Prince described the upcoming 1944 as a follow-up to 1923, currently in its first season on Paramount+.

Information is scant right now about the who, what, and where of the upcoming series. (Is it the previously announced second season of 1923, or a separate show entirely?) But we’ve pieced together a few hints to paint a fuller picture of 1944, including potential plot points, locations, and characters we might see in the period drama.

While plot details are being kept under wraps, it’s safe to assume 1944 will dramatize the effects of World War II on the Dutton family ranch. 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren as Jacob and Cara Dutton, is a Depression-era drama that grapples with historic events, including Prohibition and record-breaking drought.

1944 could follow 1923 ‘s lead and use WWII as both a backdrop and a plot engine. Perhaps we’ll see some Duttons go off to war. Action set pieces in the Yellowstone universe have been increasingly audacious, going back to 1883. Or maybe U.S. military operations will move into the wide open west, threatening the prairie’s way of life.

As ever, 1944 will film in Montana at the site of the Yellowstone Ranch. “My guess is that it’ll be shooting largely in the Bitterroot Valley because it has to take place at what is Chief Joseph Ranch,” Prince said of the prequel series’ filming plans. (Now, if those WWII theories are correct, we could see some amazing on-location shoots in Europe as well.)

No official casting announcements have been made, but recent headlines suggest that, like the Harrison Ford-led 1923, Paramount could be searching for a big-name star to front 1944. Deadline recently reported that Matthew McConaughey (True Detective) is in talks to star in a Yellowstone “franchise extension” that will also feature several stars from the flagship series.

Does that mean we’ll get a McConaughey-led Yellowstone season 6? Or will the actor head back in time to front 1944 ? Better yet, the Texas native could star in spinoff series 6666, a prequel about the famed West Texas ranch.

Wherever McConaughey lands, we’ve got some ideas for 1923 characters who could carry over to 1944 ‘s wartime Montana. Most of the actors below would have to be recast, as their characters will have aged more than twenty years since the events of 1923. (We won’t see Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren’s Jacob and Cara Dutton — unless the pair live to be over a hundred years old.)

Jack Dutton (Darren Mann) – John Dutton Sr.’s son and great-nephew to Jacob Dutton. Jack is dedicated to the upkeep of the Dutton family ranch, and if he’s in 1944, he’ll likely be running the ancestral seat.

Elizabeth Strafford Dutton (Michelle Randolph) – Jack Dutton’s feisty betrothed.