First look at Fort Worth-filmed ‘Landman’ revealed. Who’s Billy Bob Thornton playing?
The release date and first images of the Fort Worth-filmed and Billy Bob Thornton starring “Landman” have been revealed.
“Landman” is co-created and executive produced by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, which is based on Texas Monthly’s podcast “Boomtown” that Wallace wrote and hosted. Thornton stars in the series, alongside Ali Larter, Demi Moore, Jon Hamm, Andy Garcia and Michael Peña.
Paramount+ announced Tuesday that “Landman” will premiere its first two episodes on the streamer on Nov. 17. Subsequent episodes of the show’s 10-episode first season will release weekly on Sunday’s.
This means that Sheridan will have “Landman” and “Yellowstone” releasing new episodes concurrently this fall. “Yellowstone” premieres new episodes on the Paramount Network beginning Nov. 10.
The “Landman” announcement comes just one day after Vanity Fair revealed an exclusive first look at the series, which itself came out a few weeks after filming wrapped in Fort Worth.
Let’s take a look at the Vanity Fair piece and see what fans can expect from “Landman”:
Who are the characters in “Landman”?
Several key character descriptions and motivations were revealed in the Vanity Fair piece on “Landman”:
Billy Bob Thornton
The 68-year-old actor stars as Tommy Norris, an oil industry crisis manager who solves all types of problems in West Texas.
Thornton told Vanity Fair he was drawn to “Landman” by the idea of playing a hero whose life is in shambles as his work continues to hold together a billionaire’s empire. Thornton’s character not only works for the higher-ups but is also close to folks on the ground.
“I check the wells every day, get the information to give him, I deal with the landowners, and if something happens on that land, if there’s an accident on the rig, I’ve got to solve that problem and go deal with the lawyers,” Thornton said.
Ali Larter
Larter plays Angela, the “wild-at-heart” ex-wife of Thornton’s character, according to Vanity Fair.
In “Landman”, Larter and Thornton’s characters have been estranged for years and only reconnect when their son Cooper (played by Jacob Lofland) aspires to work in the oil field.
Cooper wanting to work in the oil industry brings trouble for Angela, who blames the business and Tommy’s dedication to it. This causes a marital split. Along for the ride in Angela’s orbit is her teenage daughter, Ainsley (played by Michelle Randolph), who is treated more like a sister than a daughter.
“She likes to shop with her daughter and travel the world,” Larter told Vanity Fair. ”She likes to get drunk with her daughter. They work out together. It’s like her little mini-me.”
Demi Moore and Jon Hamm
Moore and Hamm play the married couple — Cami and Monty Miller
The Miller’s are wildly successful and wealthy oil kingpins, who employ Thornton’s character. Moore’s Cami is described as the power behind Hamm’s Monty and someone who keeps him honest in this line of work.
“Jon said to me at one point, ‘I think this might be the first time I’m playing a character who’s actually in a good relationship, where they actually have real love, commitment, and affection,” Moore told Vanity Fair.
Monty, Cami, and Tommy are all old friends. In fact, the men were once in the same social status as oil speculators.
However, while Monty and Cami hit the jackpot, Tommy went bust and is now working for his old friend.
What is the “Landman” connection to Fort Worth?
Along with being filmed in and around Fort Worth, Moore has previously said that “Landman” is also set in Cowtown.
While there was no mention of Fort Worth in the Vanity Fair piece, there was an image included that shows Moore and Hamm’s character at a Texas Christian University track meet for their daughter.
This scene is likely the same one that recruited TCU alumni to appear as background actors for filming back in February. The sequence also plays into what Moore revealed to host Kelly Ripa on her “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast back in April.
Moore said “Landman” was set in Fort Worth and that she met several real-life oil women who inspired her character.
“I have to say, these are Fort Worth women, not Dallas women, Fort Worth women,” Moore said. “By the way, it is different.”
In addition to saying “Landman” is set in Fort Worth, Moore also revealed on the podcast that a second season is already on the horizon.
This is corroborated in the Vanity Fair piece, which reveals that Sheridan created the show in hopes of continuing for several more seasons.
“[Sheridan] thinks way ahead,” Moore told Vanity Fair. “He’s thinking through not just one season. He’s thinking through an epic story.”
“Landman” premieres on Paramount+ on Nov. 17.
