Yellowstone star and otherwise iconic actress Kelly Reilly took to Instagram with a new post today from a project she’s currently working on, and it’s giving us major dream crossover vibes.
Brian Cox and Reilly were cast in the upcoming Paramount Plus film Little Wing, which is hailed as a coming-of-age tale about a teenager struggling with life after her parents’ divorce. Deadline shares the following synopsis for the project, which sounds like an absolute must-watch.
“The story of Kaitlyn (Prince), a 13-year-old girl who, reeling from her parents’ divorce and the pending loss of her home, is drawn into the world of pigeon racing. She hopes to solve her family’s financial woes by stealing a valuable bird but instead forms a bond with the owner, who cultivates her love of the sport.”
Reilly is starring as Kaitlyn’s mom, while Cox is taking on the role of the bird owner and pigeon racer named Jaan. While the two coming together isn’t exactly the Yellowstone–Succession crossover we were hoping for, it is nice to see two of our favorite stars working together on something new, plus, maybe this pairing will inspire the higher-ups to think about bridging the world between the Duttons and the Roys.
While the image itself was attention-grabbing, a comment Reilly left in response to a fan question really caught the eyes of fans everywhere, with many quickly realizing that there’s a lot more to a recent Yellowstone faux pas — and that in itself is a massive understatement.
Fans of Yellowstone recently traveled far and wide to Paley Fest to attend a special panel with the stars of the series, which Paley Fest had listed as follows: Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham, Jacki Weaver, plus additional guest stars. Showrunner Taylor Sheridan was also said to be attending the panel, and the lineup was live as far back as January. This meant that between January and the Yellowstone panel on April 1, a massive window of time and opportunity presented itself for any changes to be made.
So when Yellowstone fans traveled to experience the panel, they expected the series stars to be there; but something else was waiting for them that morning. Fans were greeted by a panel led by Josh Lucas, Wendy Moniz, Mo Brings Plenty, and Dawn Olivieri. Now, not to discredit their talent or impact on the series, but fans were shocked to realize that the promised talent was nowhere to be found. There was no announcement made beforehand, and no emails were sent to ticketholders about a change in the guest list; they simply showed up to see that many things had been changed.
Most of the cast has stayed mum about the experience or lack thereof in the weeks after the PaleyFest panel fiasco; in fact, we haven’t heard much from the cast at all over the rumor-filled last few months we’ve experienced, so when Reilly mentioned PaleyFest in a comment today, we were all ears…er…eyes.
A fan asked Reilly why she didn’t attend PaleyFest, and she was as eager to answer as fans were to hear her response. Reilly told the fan that she informed the correct people of her impending absence back in January, which meant they had been holding onto the information without giving an update if the accurate information was reported to the right people. Her response reads as follows:
“I was filming in the UK at the time, and let them know in January I wouldn’t be able to attend. I was sorry to hear my name was still on the list of attendees, as it is unfair to our fans. Xx”
Unfair to fans is the exact feeling Yellowstone lovers had when they walked into the room that afternoon, so for Reilly to acknowledge it meant a lot to them, but the ill taste in the mouths of many continued as other comments seemed to paint a different story.
Fans continued their conversation with Reilly by telling her that PaleyFest is still blaming the cast instead of taking responsibility. Paley did issue refunds to those who sent in the required information to receive them, but it’s not a good look that stories and lines still don’t match up where the Yellowstone panel was concerned.
“Very interesting. I just spoke to Paleys 2 days ago, and they said they were blindsided at the very last minute. I had paid $1000 for a membership so that I could join the cast at the reception afterward. Luckily, I was able to get a refund. Thank you for responding to this post and explaining your side.”
Another fan joined the conversation and said it made sense that PaleyFest would say that in response if they were playing a money game.
“Of course they told you that. You spent money, and they still wanted people to come and support so they kept her name on there.”
Without solid confirmation from PaleyFest, we can’t say they did anything on purpose, but it doesn’t seem that Reilly is jerking fans along. In fact, it appears that she was upset that she continued to be added to a list she was no longer a part of for months. We’ll likely never know the whole story of what happened, but it makes fans wonder what happened with the rest of the cast, too. Even with refunds issued, fans are still not thrilled with PaleyFest and how they handled the situation, so it makes sense that fans are quick to trust Reilly’s words and less apt to side with Paley.
Of course, not all comments were aimed at the PaleyFest situation; others mentioned excitement about the two legends working together.
“OMG….Logan Roy and Beth Dutton together. Lovin it!!”
This fan asked the hard-hitting question we’re all trying to figure out.
“Are his eyes as stunning on camera as they are in person??”
While she didn’t respond to that one yet, we’re sure the answer is yes. If you’re anything like us, you’re probably still hoping for that crossover, too, and we don’t blame you. A picture of the icons together has certainly sent our minds going a million miles per minute, and even if we never see the two iconic television families meet, we’ll always have Little Wing.