Michelle Pfeiffer will lead the upcoming “Yellowstone” sequel series as it begins to take shape with the conclusion of the original series coming later this year.

On Thursday, Paramount announced that the 66-year-old actress will both star in and produce the next installment of the hit series currently titled “Madison,” People magazine reported.

“‘Madison’ will follow a New York City family living in the Madison River valley of central Montana and is a ‘heartfelt study of grief and human connection,'” according to a press release.

“Michelle Pfeiffer is a remarkable talent who imbues every role with emotional depth, authenticity and grace,” Chris McCarthy, the co-CEO of Paramount Global and President/CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement.

“She is the perfect anchor to the newest chapter of the ‘Yellowstone’ universe, ‘Madison,’ from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan,” the statement added.

The series will be the 7th spinoff from the original Kevin Costner-lead show that debuted in 2018 and was a massive success. Spinoffs include the prequel “1883,” “Lawman: Bass Reeves,” another prequel titled “1923,” a limited series that’s yet to air, as well as three other spinoffs that have been announced but not much else is known about them — Matthew McConaughey is involved in one and there’s to be another prequel series called “1944.”

The #YellowstoneTV sequel is very much beginning to take shape. That series will be titled ‘Madison’ and will star Michelle Pfeiffer, and it will be the next series to roll out in the ‘Yellowstone’ universe https://t.co/aS4IVqv3OL pic.twitter.com/rKdPgL5wvS

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 8, 2024

The “Yellowstone” series will finally come to an end when the second half of season 5 debuts in November after more than a year hiatus, minus star Kevin Costner.

The “Dances With Wolves” star recently told GQ that a scheduling conflict had nothing to do with his departure from the series amid reports that blamed him for halting production on the second half of the season due to filming for his western movie, followed by the writers’ and actors’ strikes, as previously reported.

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“They still haven’t shot it. As far as I know,” the actor said. “The scripts never came. And so then, at one point, they said to me that we don’t have an ending or anything.”

Costner said he offered options for killing off his character so he could make both work, saying, “‘Well, if you want to kill me, if you want to do something like that,’ I said, ‘I have a week before I start. I’ll do what you want to do.’”

The “Dances with Wolves” star said despite everything that has happened, he would be open to returning to the series, Deadline noted.

Paramount released a statement later to Fox News about Costner’s GQ comments and said that “Kevin has been a big part of ‘Yellowstone’s’ success.”

“While we had hoped that we would continue working with him, unfortunately, we could not find a window that worked for him, all the other talent, and our production needs in order to move forward together,” the statement read. “We respect that Kevin has prioritized his new film series and we wish him the best.”

Related: Kevin Costner Talks Killing Off ‘Yellowstone’ Character As Season 5 Production Finally Gets Underway

DETROIT—The Justice Department’s case against seven Christian pro-lifer activists who participated in a peaceful protest at a Michigan abortion facility will hinge on the testimony of a former fellow activist who took a plea deal with the government. 

On Thursday, the trial for Eva Edl, Cal Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Justin Phillips, Joel Curry, and Eva Zastrow continued as lawyers for the defendants and the government argued over what evidence could be presented to the jury. The Biden administration has accused the protesters of engaging in a conspiracy to block women from being able to have abortions by sitting and standing in front of the doors of the Northland Family Planning Clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan in August 2020. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10.5 years in prison and up to $260,000 in fines.

During Thursday’s deliberations, it became clear that Justice Department lawyers would be relying heavily on the testimony of Caroline Davis, a former activist who was involved in the Michigan protest and at several other protests around the country before she was charged with felony conspiracy. Davis took a plea bargain and agreed to testify for the government, and is no longer charged with a felony.

The prosecution indicated that it would be relying on Davis’ testimony  to verify several videos that will be played for the jury. Lawyers also indicated they well as use her testimony about a camping trip attended by several of the defendants before the protest, which the government called a “blockade.”

Davis appeared hostile when question by attorneys in a similar case earlier this year in a Tennessee court, and admitted that being indicted by the federal government “terrified her.” 

Judge Matthew Leitman, who is presiding over the case, appeared to push back on some of the government’s arguments on Thursday, pointing to several inconsistencies in the evidence prosecutors hoped to present to the jury. 

Leitman appeared especially critical with prosecutors’ claims that a livestream taken by someone at the Sterling Heights incident was furthering the alleged conspiracy, and ordered that the government rework a graphic showing the amount of phone calls between the defendants. 

He said the graphic looked like a “wanted poster,” and was an “effective piece of advocacy” because it was designed in an “incriminating fashion.” 

Steve Crampton, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society who is advising Gallagher, said the Justice Department’s claim that the livestream could be used to “inspire others” jeopardized the defendants’ First Amendment rights.

Leitman said that the fundamental question of the trial was whether the group intended “to save babies” or break the law, saying that “religion is not going to be put on trial” in his courtroom. 

Prosecuting attorneys moved to block the defense from using images of developing babies, but Leitman said he may allow them to be used if they are referenced to during testimony. Several former employees of the Northland Family Planning Clinic are expected to testify tomorrow.

Over a dozen family members and supporters of the defendants gathered in downtown Detroit Thursday morning ahead of court proceedings to pray and sing songs like “It is Well with My Soul.” The defendants, all devout Christians, have been open about how their faith led them to take action to help save the unborn.

Edl, an 89-year-old woman who survived a communist concentration camp, told The Daily Wire on Tuesday that she wasn’t concerned about the outcome of the trial because “God wins in the end.” Her three children were all in court on Thursday to support her.

Republican lawmakers have called for the FACE Act to be repealed as the Biden administration pursues a novel prosecution technique to charge pro-lifer activists around the country with felony conspiracy charges. In some cases, pro-life protesters have been sentenced to years in prison.