Ep. 76 : Richard Gray, Director of "Murder At Yellowstone City"

Fandor Festival Podcast

The once peaceful and booming Yellowstone City has fallen on hard times, but when a local prospector strikes gold, things seem to be turning around. Any hope is soon shattered when the prospector is found dead and the Sheriff quickly arrests a mysterious newcomer. But nothing is so simple in this sleepy western town, and more than a few of the locals have secrets to keep and reasons to kill. As the brutal murders continue, pitting neighbor against neighbor,Yellowstone City goes down a bloody path to a final showdown that not all will survive.

Richard Gray - Director Statement

After scouting almost every western town / back lot in North America, we built Yellowstone

City from scratch in Montana. It took over two years, with many Covid delays, but that gave us time to think about every scene, every beat, the weather — the look of each season. Watch the town grow from the ground up. The area we built in (Paradise Valley) was called Yellowstone City in the 1850s, and now it’s back.

I was so excited reading the screenplay. Eric did such a fabulous job. Murder mystery westerns are rare, that was super cool and original, but there is still such a classic western here and that’s what really impressed me. At its heart we’re dealing with fascinating characters, with major decisions to make. We’re dealing with social injustice, and what folks are prepared to do in seeking the truth. What are they prepared to do for true justice? They risk their lives, they lose their lives — our heroes ultimately aren’t prepared to stay silent, and that’s what makes this film tick. There are themes, moments and truths that are incredibly relevant, then and now.

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