Yellowstone Will Be Perfectly Fine With This John Dutton Replacement; Sorry, Kevin Costner
Despite mixed reviews, the neo-Western drama Yellowstone proved to be a highly successful and popular TV series, spawning several prequels/spin-offs.
However, now it might be facing a serious problem. Namely, Kevin Costner, who plays John Dutton III, the central character of the series, might be about to step down from his role.
There are rumors that Costner wants to star in the planned four-part Western movie series Horizon, and would barely appear even in the yet-unaired second half of Yellowstone 's fifth season. The official statement from Paramount Network, so far, denies the rumors, but in a language that doesn't appear to be full of conviction:
"We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that's the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built."
Rumors, in fact, might be a part of Paramount's negotiating tactics. But assuming they are true, and Costner seeks to move on – not surprising for an actor who rarely starred in sequels to his own works before, even if Yellowstone did much to revitalize his career – the studio still has several options.
First of all, they can simply focus on their spin-off projects, including 1883 and 1923. And second, while changing actors for a lead character hardly ever worked out for any series, Paramount has an option ready, in case they decide to continue the main Yellowstone series through doing so.
Specifically, they have Josh Lucas, who played young John Dutton in flashbacks, which explored pivotal moments of the Dutton family history, since Season 1.
Yes Costner and Lucas don't look very much alike, but the two of them have already played the same man at the different points of his life, and it clearly worked. Makeup can be employed to make Lucas look older on the screen. And, importantly, Lucas became one of the audience's favorites.
That said, all those considerations might be moot, if Costner decides to stick with Yellowstone. And even if he's going to leave and the main series is going to end with Season 5, fans of the franchise should not be too dismayed, as the above-mentioned spin-offs ensure its continuation in some form.