Taylor Sheridan Reportedly Inks Massive Deal with Universal for New Films and TV Projects

After months of speculation, Puck News now also reports that Taylor Sheridan, the creator behind Yellowstone and several of Paramount’s biggest shows, is leaving the company.

According to reports, Sheridan has signed a huge new deal with NBCUniversal to develop both movies and television shows for the studio.

For a while, word had been spreading that Sheridan wasn’t happy with the new leadership at Paramount. Since David Ellison took over the company in August, many of the executives Sheridan had long worked with were either let go or pushed aside.

Sources claim that Cindy Holland, the new streaming chief, questioned the budgets of some of Sheridan’s high-cost shows. Ellison also reportedly tried to bring Paramount into an old film deal Sheridan had already made with Warner Bros., which didn’t sit well with him.

Now Sheridan has decided to move on. His film and TV commitments at Paramount will wrap up over the next few years, and once those are complete, he’ll begin his exclusive work with NBCUniversal.

The new deal covers about eight years of film projects starting in March, and a five-year TV deal that begins after his current Paramount contract ends in 2028. His longtime production company, 101 Studios, run by David Glasser, will also make the move to Universal.

The agreement is said to be worth a significant amount of money, although insiders say that wasn’t the main reason Sheridan made the switch. Instead, it came down to creative freedom and frustration with the new management at Paramount.

Sheridan’s team reportedly told Ellison about the decision roughly ten days ago, and both Sheridan and Glasser later spoke directly with him.

The talks that led to this deal started earlier this year. Sheridan’s film deal at Paramount was set to expire in March, and as that deadline approached, he and his representatives—CAA, his manager Scott Greenberg, and lawyers Neil Meyer and Emily Downs, began meeting with other studios.

Big names in the industry showed interest. Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav even invited Sheridan to his home to discuss potential projects. Amazon, Netflix, and Apple also reached out to court him.

Still, Ellison never secured a new film agreement or extended Sheridan’s TV deal beyond 2028. Insiders say Ellison and Holland might have considered Sheridan’s shows too expensive, given his use of A-list actors like Sylvester Stallone, Zoe Saldaña, and Billy Bob Thornton, as well as his preference for large-scale, on-location shoots in Texas.

But despite the high costs, Sheridan’s shows consistently perform well, often ranking among the most-watched programs on Nielsen’s charts.

By the time Sheridan’s Paramount deal ends, the company may feel it’s already gained the most it can from his work. But with Universal stepping in, Sheridan is set to start a new chapter that could reshape both his career and the competitive streaming landscape.

Sheridan’s move feels like a big win for Universal and a real loss for Paramount. He built a major TV empire that became the backbone of Paramount+, and his storytelling style clearly connects with audiences. It’ll be interesting to see what he does with a fresh start and a bigger playground. What do you think, did Paramount make a mistake letting him go? Share your thoughts in the comments.