Did You Know Robert Redford Originally Agreed To Star In “Yellowstone” As John Dutton?

Robert Redford Nearly Played Yellowstone‘s John Dutton Before The Role Went To Kevin Costner

Only a few Yellowstone fans know this, but Robert Redford was initially slated to play the show’s patriarch, John Dutton. So how did Kevin Costner end up playing the part instead?

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan shared the story behind the casting shakeup during a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He originally wrote the script as a movie and pitched it to HBO as “The Godfather in Montana.” The service eventually decided to develop Yellowstone as a series.

Sheridan always saw Costner as John Dutton, so he pitched his name to the heads at HBO. However, they “didn’t see it.” They had someone else in mind.

Sheridan remembered, “They said, ‘We want Robert Redford.’ They said, ‘If you can get us Robert Redford, we’ll greenlight the pilot.'”

So Sheridan jumped into action. He met up with Redford, and asked him if he’d want to star in Yellowstone. Redford agreed.

“I drive to Sundance and spend the day with him,” Sheridan recalled, “and he agrees to play John Dutton. I call the senior vice president in charge of production and say, ‘I got him!’ ‘You got who?’ ‘Robert Redford.’ ‘What?!’ ‘You said if I got Robert Redford, you’d greenlight the show.‘”

Sheridan continued, “And he says — and you can’t make this s— up — ‘We meant a Robert Redford type.'”

Even with Redford on board, HBO remained reluctant to develop Yellowstone. Sheridan got fed up with the hesitation, so he parted from HBO and shopped the series around. The Paramount Network finally agreed to get behind it.

When Yellowstone premiered on the Paramount Network on June 20, 2018, it featured Sheridan’s original pick, Kevin Costner, as John Dutton. Costner played the character across four and a half seasons of the show.

Robert Redford Died On September 16, 2025

Redford, who was known for his roles in projects such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Great Gatsby, died on September 16, 2025. He was 89 years old.

Redford’s longtime publicist, Cindi Berger, told The Hollywood Reporter he died in his sleep at his home outside of Provo, Utah. Berger did not share Redford’s cause of death.

His survivors include his daughters, Shauna and Amy, and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by two sons, Scott Anthony Redford (who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1959), and David James Redford (who died of cancer at age 58 in 2020).

Our thoughts and prayers are with Redford’s family as they mourn their loss…