Writer Lauren J. Salkin has filed a copyright lawsuit accusing Taylor Sheridan of using her 2016 Western drama pitch, “Sovereign Nation”, to develop “Yellowstone”. The case also names 101 Studios, Paramount and Elevate Entertainment, and matters because it challenges the origins of one of television’s most successful modern Western franchises; the allegations have not been tested in court.

Salkin says she submitted her project to Sheridan’s management company and was told he was unavailable for television work, before “Yellowstone” was reportedly greenlit within months and premiered in June 2018. Her claim identifies alleged similarities involving a tribal casino, land-development arrangements including trust land and 99-year leases, territorial-control imagery and comparable character functions; it also notes that Danny Huston and Gil Birmingham, suggested in her pitch deck, later appeared in the series. Representatives for the defendants had not responded to Variety’s request for comment.