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Whether or not you personally are feeling the "superhero fatigue" that critics and amateurs across the internet are talking about, some in Hollywood certainly are. Case in point, Billy Bob Thornton spoke to The Hollywood Reporter recently about the prevalence of masked heroes in the entertainment industry, but at the same time, managed to find a silver lining. According to Thornton, too many superhero movies are one reason Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan is finding such success.

So why was Thornton talking about Sheridan in the first place? It's because the Fargo and Bad Santa actor is starring in Sheridan's newest project Landman. No, it's not the story of a superhero with geological powers (though wouldn't that be ironic), It's a gravely serious drama about the cutthroat world of oil rigs, taking inspiration from the popular podcast Boomtown. Thornton stars as Tommy Norris, a wealthy exec who deals with the populace angry at the industry that feeds him.

At the Landman premiere, Thornton told The Hollywood Reporter that he took the part due partially because Sheridan wrote it for him, but also because he feels it provides something that audiences don't get in the current superhero boom.

"People are hungry for human stories," says Thornton. "These days in the theaters, it’s mainly event movies and superhero things and animated stuff and all that; there are a few human stories to come through. But these things are like a 10-hour movie that explore human beings. And I think people are hungry for that and I think that’s why they relate to Taylor’s stuff."

Thornton is hardly alone in Hollywood with his views. Joker filmmaker Todd Phillips repeatedly caught flak for saying that he was going to make his Joaquin Phoenix vehicle a "real movie" despite its comic book origins, and more recently, (much more beloved) moviemaker Tom Hanks went on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to say that comic book movies had replaced substance for spectacle. Whether or not you hold the same opinion as these Hollywooders, they have hit on something objectively true: some audiences will always be hungry for human stories, and as Yellowstone proves, will follow them in whatever setting and whatever genre they can get them. 

Yellowstone season 5 is currently airing on the Paramount network, with season 1-4 available to stream via Peacock. Landman (again, not a superhero) streams on Paramount+ November 16.

Not feeling the superhero fatigue? Popverse has a list of every upcoming superhero movie and TV show.