I hated Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 ending, but Brandon Sklenar’s secret new movie has me excited

When Taylor Sheridan wrapped 1923 Season 1, I’ll admit it — I was frustrated, maybe even angry. After an entire season building up Spencer Dutton’s epic journey to return to Montana, the finale left him stranded in Europe, separated from Alexandra, with no satisfying resolution. It felt like emotional whiplash. We waited episode after episode for Spencer to close the distance between himself and the Yellowstone ranch, only for Sheridan to slam the brakes at the last second. It was as if he’d taken all the momentum and bottled it up, forcing us to hold our breath until Season 2. For fans who craved closure, it was maddening.

But here’s the thing about Taylor Sheridan — even when he drives me crazy, he always manages to pull me back in. And that’s exactly what’s happening now with the news of his upcoming movie, which will reunite him with 1923 star Brandon Sklenar. The film, still shrouded in secrecy, reportedly contains a hidden connection to the Yellowstone universe. No official plot details have been confirmed, but insiders have hinted at a subtle link — something that could either deepen the Dutton mythology or serve as a spiritual cousin to Sheridan’s frontier storytelling.

For me, this is where Sheridan excels. Even if a specific ending leaves me unsatisfied, he has a way of building entire worlds where every project feels like part of a larger tapestry. In 1923, Sklenar’s portrayal of Spencer Dutton was one of the most magnetic performances in the franchise. His mix of rugged charm, haunted past, and quiet determination made him more than just another cowboy archetype. Bringing him back for a brand-new role means Sheridan sees untapped potential — and possibly a story that lets Sklenar show sides of his talent 1923 never fully explored.

The “secret detail” rumors are what really hooked me. Some sources suggest the movie will contain a thematic throughline that mirrors Spencer’s arc — a man shaped by loss, survival, and a dangerous journey. Others think there might be a literal Easter egg — a surname, a location, or a family heirloom — that subtly connects the movie to 1923 or Yellowstone. Sheridan has done this before, weaving shared DNA into his projects without announcing a direct crossover. That keeps the speculation alive and the fandom engaged, even between big releases.

Beyond the potential Yellowstone tie-in, there’s also the fact that Sheridan’s movies tend to have a different energy than his TV shows. They’re tighter, more concentrated bursts of storytelling, and often even more intense because of the shorter runtime. If 1923 sometimes felt like a slow burn that tested your patience, a Sheridan movie could be the adrenaline shot needed to remind fans why we fell in love with his work in the first place.

So yes, I hated how 1923 ended — I won’t sugarcoat it. The cliffhanger left a bitter taste and made me worry about whether Sheridan was stretching his story too thin. But hearing that Brandon Sklenar is teaming up with him again, especially for a project carrying whispers of a secret universe link, has reignited my curiosity. Sheridan knows how to frustrate me, but he also knows how to get me back in line, popcorn in hand, ready to see what he does next.

If the movie delivers on its rumored detail, it could do more than entertain — it could retroactively make some of 1923’s choices feel deliberate and worth the wait. And that’s the dangerous thing about Taylor Sheridan’s storytelling: even when I think I’m done, I’m never really out.