Taylor Sheridan almost cast this Hollywood legend in Yellowstone over Kevin Costner

When Taylor Sheridan was first developing Yellowstone, he almost cast someone else instead of Kevin Costner as John Dutton. One simply cannot imagine Yellowstone without Costner, and it turns out, there was a time when the role almost went to a different actor.

Taylor Sheridan had first pitched Yellowstone to HBO, and due to some misunderstanding with the company, he had almost cast Hollywood legend Robert Redford as John Dutton. While Bradford's acting is commendable, fans wouldn't want anyone else to have played John.

How did Taylor Sheridan almost cast Robert Redford as John Dutton instead of Kevin Costner in Yellowstone?

While all main cast members of Yellowstone now each bring quite the star power to any project they join, that wasn't the case at the beginning of the show. Kevin Costner was a huge reason the show attracted audiences in the initial days. The rest of the cast has done a commendable job as well, but a lot of fans stuck to the show for Costner's portrayal of John.

Surprisingly, Taylor Sheridan almost cast someone else when he was first developing the show. Sheridan had initially pitched Yellowstone as a film to HBO, but the network thought it would be better as a series. HBO had also said that they would greenlight the show only if he could convince Robert Redford to play John Dutton.

Sheridan went to Sundance to meet the actor and, after much talking, got him on board. However, when he informed HBO that Redford had agreed to join the show, the network responded with,

"We meant a Robert Redford type."

Hence, they did not exactly want Robert Redford, but someone like him. Taylor Sheridan then had a more candid conversation with the network's then-executives, who revealed that they had other reservations about making Yellowstone. Sheridan then took to several other networks until Paramount agreed to greenlight it.

As Sheridan had initially intended, Kevin Costner was cast as John Dutton, and the rest is history. Costner played the role of John Dutton for almost the entirety of the show. His character was shown to have been killed when Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 premiered. John Dutton was killed off in the show because Kevin Costner wanted to focus on directing and starring in his multi-part Western film epic, Horizon: An American Saga.

While Costner's exit from the show was a little rocky, his character's exit from the show did not feel artificial. Kevin Costner's portrayal of John Dutton is one of the key factors that kept fans hooked to the show. He played the role of the patriarch, businessman, father, and grandfather with a finesse very few can.

Robert Redford would have nailed the role as well, but him not playing the role turned out to be a not-so-bad thing after all. Redford was two decades older than Costner, which could affect how the character and his story were ultimately shaped. Besides, Redford was nearing retirement at the time Taylor Sheridan had approached him.

If the actor did get cast as John Dutton, he might not have been willing to play the role after two or three seasons. While initially Sheridan hadn't planned five seasons of Yellowstone, the show's success made Paramount renew the show till Season 5. If Redford wasn't able to play John after a couple of seasons, it could have affected the show's story significantly.

Taylor Sheridan did not get to make Yellowstone for HBO, but he did get to make it eventually. Moreover, he got to cast Kevin Costner, and the rest is history.

Trending

For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback