‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ Adds Tom Hanks to Cast List
An already impressive cast for Yellowstone prequel 1883 has gotten an upgrade. Tom Hanks will make an appearance during Ep. 2 of the series, which begins Dec. 19.
Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott were the first three stars attached to writer Taylor Sheridan's 19th century drama when it was announced in August. Billy Bob Thornton was added later with rest of the cast filling in with actors like LaMonica Garrett and Isabel May. Hanks' appearance seems to be isolated to a single scene. Deadline shares that he'll appear in a flashback sequence that reveals more about James Dutton's (played by McGraw) backstory.
In the scene, Dutton is seen standing up after a devastating Civil War battle, the Battle of Antietam. He sees death all around him and as Union soldiers approach — Dutton fought for the Confederate Army — a hand falls on his shoulder. That hand belongs to a three-star general, played by Hanks.
Per NPR, over 23,000 were killed or wounded in the Battle of Antietam (1862) in Sharpsburg, Md. It is the bloodiest day in American history.
The star's cameo was filmed in a single day in late September, outside of Weatherford, Texas. Numerous other stars are expected to pop up in unique ways throughout the season. Episodes 1 and 2 of 1883 will premiere on Saturday (Dec. 11) at the Wynn Las Vegas before being released to the public on Paramount+ on Dec. 19.
Last week, the official trailer for 1883 was released showing a show at least as violent as Yellowstone, and equally provocative. McGraw's Dutton shoots and kills several people while he and Hill (Margaret Dutton) are seen in a romantic embrace in a bathtub.
May plays Dutton daughter Elsa and narrates the action. Together they join Shea Brennan's (Elliott) wagon train in search of new land north out of Texas.