Overview

• Billy Bob Thornton auditioned for Rob Reiner’s Misery as a sheriff’s deputy but declined to film after being told the part would be cut
• Kathy Bates and Thornton first worked together on Mike Nichols’ 1998 film Primary Colors, kick-starting a 30-year professional friendship
• Bates stars as a scheming attorney in CBS’s Matlock reboot, a role reimagined by creator Jennie Snyder Urman to spotlight older women
• Thornton leads Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ drama Landman as oil executive Tommy Norris, with cast chemistry forged during a single pre-shoot dinner
• Paramount+ has confirmed that Landman’s second season is scheduled to premiere in November 2025