PARAMOUNT+ ANNOUNCES ACADEMY AWARD(R) WINNER BILLY BOB THORNTON TO STAR IN TAYLOR SHERIDAN'S UPCOMING DRAMA "LAND MAN"

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios

Feb. 15, 2022 - Paramount+ today announced that Academy Award(R) winner Billy Bob Thornton has been tapped to lead the upcoming drama series LAND MAN. From executive producer and Academy Award(R) nominee Taylor Sheridan, the series will feature Thornton as a crisis manager for an oil company. Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, LAND MAN will begin production in 2023.

Based on the notable 11-part podcast "Boomtown," LAND MAN is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West-Texas and is a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires that are fueling a boom so big it's reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.

"We are in the privileged position to be able to work with people that we truly admire," said David C. Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. "With LAND MAN, Taylor developed it with Billy Bob in mind, and we were thrilled when he came on board. He is not only one of the greatest actors of our generation but also a true creative partner."

LAND MAN will be executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin and Geyer Kosinski. The series will also be executive produced by Dan Friedkin, Jason Hoch, Scott Brown and Megan Creydt.

Academy Award(R)-winning writer, actor, director and musician Billy Bob Thornton was most recently seen starring in the fourth and final season of "Goliath," for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama, and has completed production on the action-thriller "The Gray Man." Other recent projects have included the critically acclaimed limited television series "Fargo," for which he received Golden Globe and Broadcast Television Critics Awards as well as Emmy and SAG Award nominations; a reprisal of his Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 2003 hit "Bad Santa," in "Bad Santa 2"; "Our Brand Is Crisis"; "The Judge"; and "Jayne Mansfield's Car," an original script co-written by Thornton and Tom Epperson, which he also directed. Additional writing, directing and/or acting credits include "Parkland," "London Fields," "Faster," "The Informers," "Manure," "Eagle Eye," "Mr. Woodcock," "The Astronaut Farmer," "School For Scoundrels," the remake of the "The Bad News Bears," "Friday Night Lights," "Bandits," "The Man Who Wasn't There," "Armageddon," "Monster's Ball," "Tombstone, "Indecent Proposal," "Deadman," "On Deadly Ground," "Bound By Honor," "For The Boys," "The Stars Fell on Henrietta," "U-Turn," "Primary Colors," "Pushing Tin," "A Simple Plan," "Daddy And Them," "All The Pretty Horses," "Waking Up in Reno," "Levity," "Intolerable Cruelty" and "Love Actually." Thornton was honored with both an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for "Sling Blade," in which he starred, and which he directed and wrote. He also directed "The King of Luck," a documentary about country music legend and longtime friend Willie Nelson.

About Paramount+:

Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service from ViacomCBS, combines live sports, breaking news, and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world's biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream ViacomCBS Streaming's other live channels: CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis, and ET Live for entertainment coverage. For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

About MTV Entertainment Group:

MTV Entertainment Group is a one of the preeminent youth media companies in the world that connects with global audiences through its nine iconic brands - MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, CMT, Pop, Logo, Smithsonian, Paramount Network and TV Land - as well as MTV Entertainment Studios, which produces acclaimed series and movies and the award-winning MTV Documentary films.

About 101 Studios:

101 Studios is a global entertainment company dedicated to the acquisition, financing, development, production and distribution of high-caliber, creator-driven storytelling. 101 empowers content creators through first-class collaboration and innovation. On the television side, 101 produces Taylor Sheridan's Emmy nominated series "Yellowstone," "Mayor of Kingstown," "1883" and the upcoming "George & Tammy," "Tulsa King" {wt}, "Lioness," and "Bass Reeves." 101 Studios oversees and manages the newly formed Sports Illustrated Studios, a content platform based on the most compelling stories, characters and moments in sports past, present and future. Upcoming projects include "Paradise Found" based on the true story of high school football coach Rick Prinz; a docuseries about the sexual abuse and cover-up at Ohio State University, co-produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures; and the docuseries "Covers," a behind-the-scenes look at Sports Illustrated's top cover stories of all time. SI Studios has also exclusively partnered with iHeartMedia to create and distribute original podcasts through the iHeartPodcast network. On the film side, past releases include "The Current War: Director's Cut," the Sundance Audience award winner "Burden" as well as the family comedy "The War with Grandpa."