Billy Bob Thornton explains Jon Hamm’s shocking character fate inLandmanseason 1 was “pre-planned.” Hamm played Monty Miller, the CEO of M-TEX, the oil conglomerate that employed Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris, inLandman.Monty is hospitalized after suffering a heart attack, and he dies after an unsuccessful heart transplant. Given Jon Hamm’s high profile, thesudden death of hisLandmancharacterwas unexpected.
Billy Bob Thornton joined his co-stars Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, and Andy Garcia atNewport Beach TV Fest’sLandman- Outstanding Drama Series panel. Answering a fan question about what happened to Jon Hamm’s Monty, Thornton revealed thatMiller’s death was"a requirement"of the part,even beforeLandmancreator Taylor Sheridan cast Jon Hamm. Read Billy Bob’s quote below:
That was pre-planned before Taylor even knew Jon was gonna be playing the part. He needed that for the show. He needed to show the pressure of owning an oil company and gambling that way every day. [Sheridan] wanted to show a guy as young as Jon who literally dies from a stressed heart, broken heart. So it had to happen that way. We knew before we started shooting, but we didn’t know for a long time who was gonna play that part. Taylor brought it up to me, I said, ‘Oh yeah, I met Jon at a Cardinals game one time.’ We’re both Cardinals fans. Jon did an amazing job, but [dying] was a requirement for that part, and Jon knew it going in.
Why Monty Miller Was Always Going To Die In Landman Season 1
Monty Is A Cautionary Tale About The Oil Business
As Billy Bob Thornton explained, Jon Hamm was cast after Taylor Sheridan created the Monty Miller character, with the intention that Monty was always meant to die.Landmandoesn’t flinch from showing the harsh realities of the West Texas oil business, which can be inundated with accidents, deaths, and conflicts with Mexican drug cartels. Monty’s death at a relatively young age conveys the toll running M-TEX took on him physically, as Miller had already suffered previous heart attacks before his fatal one at theend ofLandmanseason 1.Jon Hamm won’t be back inLandmanseason 2as Monty Miller.
Casting Jon Hamm inLandmancreated the expectation that Monty Miller would be a major character who would last for the duration of the series, adding to the shock value of his death. However, Monty had relatively little screen time inLandmanfor an actor of Jon Hamm’s stature. YetHamm knew going in thatLandmanwould be a one-season gigresulting in his character’s death. This tracks withTaylor Sheridan’s penchant for killing off characters played by big-name actors, like Michael Pena, who died early inLandmanseason 1.
Our Take On Jon Hamm’s Landman Character’s Death
Monty’s Fate Paves The Way For Demi Moore’s Cami Miller
Landmankilling off Jon Hamm’s Monty Miller was a genuine surprise, but it raises the series' stakes and alters Tommy Norris' trajectory in fascinating ways. Monty and his wife,Cami Miller (Demi Moore), trust and rely on Tommy, hence his promotion to President of M-TEX. Hamm’s exit opens the door formore emphasis on Demi Moore as Cami, since she was underutilized inLandman season 1, although this was likely also by Taylor Sheridan’s design. Tommy’s complicated life gets even more perilous now that he’s running M-TEX inLandmanseason 2.
Landmanseason 2 cast Sam Elliott, Billy Bob Thornton’s1883co-star, in an undisclosed role.
Landmanseason 2 is filming now for a November 2025 premiereon Paramount+, so audiences don’t have long to wait to find out what happens next to Tommy Norris in the Patch. Jon Hamm’s Landman stint may have only lasted one season, but Hamm can be seen inYour Friends and Neighborson Apple TV+, as well as other projects featuring the prolific actor since his career-making run as Don Draper onMad Men.Thanks to Billy Bob Thornton, audiences now know that Jon Hamm’s character’s death inLandmanwas always part of Taylor Sheridan’s master plan.
