While “Yellowstone” was still in its early stages, the series was actually going to star the legendary Robert Redford as the main character John Dutton — until creator Taylor Sheridan was forced to fire the now-late performer, that is. The network didn’t actually want Redford for the show, they just wanted an actor of his type. Prior to the show’s reign at Paramount, “Yellowstone” was in development at HBO — and they didn’t love Sheridan’s vision.
In fact, when the creator pitched the series with Kevin Costner in the leading role, execs claimed the part called for a generational talent and offered to greenlight the pilot if Sheridan could lock in Redford to play John Dutton. “I drive to Sundance and spend the day with him and he agrees to play John Dutton,” the showrunner told The Hollywood Reporter. “I call the senior vice president in charge of production and say, ‘I got him!'” But HBO was shocked by Sheridan’s legwork and told him they had actually meant that the role required a similar actor, not the actual iconic performer in question.
HBO didn’t actually want Robert Redford for Yellowstone
HBO told Taylor Sheridan that they were wary of Robert Redford’s age. At the time of the deal between the writer-director and the Oscar winner, Redford would’ve been somewhere in his 70s or early 80s. Needless to say, the network’s stance complicated things for Sheridan, who then had to call the legendary actor and explain the unfortunate situation to him. In the end, Kevin Costner ended up taking on the role in 2017 when Paramount ordered the first season of the series, which was almost certainly the best decision for the show.
Redford is an incredible actor and would’ve undoubtedly done well, but he has a softness to him that doesn’t feel quite right for John Dutton III, a character whose life is a constant show of strength. Sadly, Redford died in September 2025 before he and Sheridan could ever actually work together — but the filmmaker did dedicate the pilot episode of his 2026 drama series about grief, “The Madison,” to the actor in the wake of his passing. After being forced to let Redford down about “Yellowstone,” it felt like a fitting tribute.
