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Billy Bob Thornton has confirmed he will be returning for a third season of Landman after a massive bombshell sparked rumors he would be departing the show.
Thornton's character, Tommy Norris, was given the boot from M-Tex Oil by owner Cami Miller (Demi Moore) on last week's episode - prompting reports to emerge claiming he would be leaving the show.
Now, in a new interview with USA Today, Thornton, 70, has blasted the justification for the reports as 'AI-generated c**p.'
'There's an AI report that Demi and I are a couple now, and there's one that I'm leaving the show,' he said. 'They have nothing to do with reality.'
A third season will begin shooting this spring and Thornton insists, 'I'll be there.'
He intends on remaining with the show for as long as it is in existence.
Billy Bob Thornton will be returning to season three of Landman
'I'll be here as long as it plays out. If it's five years, great. If it's six, I'm there,' he said.
It's not the first time Thornton has expressed his commitment to the show.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he hoped to remain with the show for the next decade in November, he said: 'Well, yes, absolutely. As long as I’m able, I want to do it. Or, until the story runs out. When I did [Amazon’s] Goliath, where I played a lawyer, I signed up for four years.
'And after those four years, we were satisfied. Sometimes people can go a bridge too far. There are certain shows that have been on for 12, 14, 17 seasons. After a while, it’s like, “OK, we get it. But what are you going to come up with next?”
'You either have to do something ridiculous or repeat stuff you’ve already been doing. So I think Landman, as an entity, will know when it’s over.
Thornton stars on Landman as Tommy Norris, a top executive at a fictional oil company who is tasked with negotiating the mineral rights for land it plans to drill on.
The wildly-popular series will officially be returning for a third season after the season premiere two made Paramount+ history with a record-number of viewers.
The season two premiere became the streamer's most-watched premiere ever after it drew in more than 9.2 million streaming views, according to Sneak Peak.
Thornton's character was given the boot from M-Tex Oil on last week's episode by Demi Moore's character
'I'll be here as long as it plays out. If it's five years, great. If it's six, I'm there,' Thornton said
The second season premiere made Paramount+ history after it drew in a record number of viewers
The show also stars Ali Larter, Sam Elliott and James Jordan
'We barely skimmed the surface in season one and, after season two, I feel like we’re still just skimming the surface,' showrunner Christian Wallace told THR ahead of the renewal during his joint interview with Thornton.
The ensemble cast of the Taylor Sheridan created series also features Demi Moore, Jon Hamm, Ali Larter, Paulina Chávez, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph Kayla Wallace and Sam Elliot as Thornton's on-screen father T.L. Norris.
Speaking to People last month, Elliott described his character T.L. as a 'fractured man.'
Elliott said that T.L.'s complicated relationship with his son is on display during the show's sophomore season.
'We're going to spend much of this season seeing T.L. early on - but then it becomes both of us, I think - healing that relationship that's falling apart,' Elliott said.
The official cast for the third season has yet to be unveiled but Larter and Wallace celebrated the show's return.
'THANK YOU to everyone who’s watched, supported and loved our show!' Wallace gushed on Instagram.
Larter posted: 'So excited to announce we are coming back for season 3! Thank you to the fans that have made Landman such a massive success. Honored to work on this show with such exceptional actors and crew. Heart is full.'
It's not known when the season three premiere will air.
