Another Hollywood legend was already on board, but an embarrassing misunderstanding ruined the deal

Since the recent Netflix launch, series fans have hardly been able to avoid Yellowstone. Long an insider tip in Germany, the western drama created by Taylor Sheridan has long been a TV phenomenon in the USA, attracting millions of people to their televisions.

It’s hard for fans today to imagine a John Dutton other than Kevin Costner. In fact, Yellowstone could have almost looked completely different. A legendary Hollywood star had already signed on for the role of the hard-nosed family man who fights to keep his ranch.

Without Kevin Costner: Yellowstone almost became an HBO series with Robert Redford

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan looked back at the origins of the western series. This was originally planned as a film before the project on the US broadcaster HBO ended up where the material was to be developed into a series. But only under one condition: Instead of Kevin Costner, another star should be found for the role. Sheridan says:

Said: ‘If you can get us Robert Redfordwe’re giving the green light to a pilot film‘.

Since the New Hollywood era, Robert Redford has been one of the dream factory’s biggest stars. However, he never played a leading role in a series. Nevertheless, Taylor Sheridan was able to convince the Hollywood star to take on the role of John Dutton. The drive of the Yellowstone creator ultimately revealed an unpleasant misunderstanding.

Yellowstone with Robert Redford? Actually sounds like an exciting prestige project. However, those responsible for HBO were confused by the spectacular commitment: “We meant someone LIKE Robert Redford“.

Even a prominent name like Robert Redford couldn’t dissuade the HBO producers from their fundamental concerns about the concept. The creative differences sealed the project’s fate. Fortunately, Sheridan eventually regained the rights to his Western idea and offered Yellowstone to the competition. The rest is TV history.

Yellowstone became a mega success without Robert Redford, but there is no happy ending

And what happened to Robert Redford? Actually should Kevin Costner always Taylor Sheridan’s favorite for the role of John Dutton. And so, even after the HBO disaster, he was once again the top candidate on the casting wish list.

Watch 3 seasons on Netflix: Watch the trailer for Yellowstone Season 4 here

The years-long fight for Yellowstone paid off. The western drama not only became one of the most successful TV series in recent years, but also founded a huge series universe that will be expanded with further spin-offs in the future.

It is all the more tragic that the series creator and his star finally fell out. The dispute behind the scenes has now resulted in Yellowstone being ended after 5 seasons. Kevin Costner will no longer appear in the final episodes, which are scheduled to be released in late 2024. Whether with or without him: The Yellowstone universe cannot be stopped.

Not just on Netflix: Where can I watch all the episodes of Yellowstone?

Yellowstone currently has four full seasons and a half fifth season. The first three seasons have been available on Netflix since January 2024. If you want to continue watching, you can Season 4 and season 5.1 currently on Magenta TV and Paramount+ stream. If you decide to subscribe to Paramount+, you can dive deeper into the Yellowstone universe with the spin-offs 1883 and 1923.

Podcast: The 15 best series starts in January on Netflix and Co.

Do you need more fresh streaming tips? We present you the most exciting series in January, which start on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Co., in the monthly overview:

Among the 15 streaming highlights of the series at the beginning of the year you will not only find gripping crime thrillers, but also a hotly anticipated war series by Steven Spielberg, an amazing Marvel return and much more.