The legacy of Kurt Russell is immutable in its scale and grandeur. The actor who worked with Walt Disney melted the hardened emotions of Charles Bronson and developed a lifelong friendship with the Hollywood giant was a force of his own. The on-screen legacy of the actor, from Westerns to Marvel to Monsterverse stands as a calling card of a movie star who is as relevant in his 70s as he was in his teens.
Somewhere along his route to the peak of Hollywood’s Olympus, Russell crossed paths with numerous movie stars in the making and others in their third acts. Kevin Costner, the parable of the 80s and 90s, was one such star whose presence influenced Kurt Russell’s career as much as Russell impacted his.
The Intertwined Legacy of Kurt Russell & Kevin Costner
In the early ‘half of the 1960s, Kurt Russell carved out a name for himself by starring in the Western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters at the age of 12. The A-lister – who James Gunn describes as the “most famous cult actor in the world” [Los Angeles Times] – endeared himself to much of Hollywood with his infectious energy and ever-so-cheerful disposition paired with keen ambition for his future in the industry over the next several decades.
Later, when Kevin Costner arrived in the ’80s, he immediately turned heads with his role as Agent Elliot Ness in The Untouchables (1987) and later locked down and secured his A-list status with the back-to-back sports film, Bill Durham (1988) and Field of Dreams (1989). However, it was his breakout role in Lawrence Kasdan’s 1985 film Silverado that fanned the flames of his lifelong obsession with Westerns.
As such, when the script of Tombstone began making its rounds, it was Costner who was approached first. The actor turned down the film in favor of Lawrence Kasdan’s film Wyatt Earp, giving Kurt Russell the opportunity to take his place in the career-defining Western. Ironically, both films, released 6 months apart, explored the life of the legendary outlaw Wyatt Earp.
However, while Tombstone became known as one of Hollywood’s all-time greats, an exemplary Western movie, and an instant cult classic, Costner’s Wyatt Earp lagged at the box office and failed to gain critical appreciation, instead getting unfavorably compared to the Kurt Russell movie that he had initially turned down. The comparisons continued well into the stars’ careers, thus giving rise to an unspoken, unrealized 30-year-old rivalry.
Yellowstone Update: Kevin Costner Out, Kurt Russell In?
As far as Westerns are concerned, Taylor Sheridan understood the assignment and how. With Yellowstone, the actor-turned-filmmaker earned a niche place and reputation as a screenwriting genius. However, now that the 5-season arc is coming to a controversial close, the viewers and project heads at Paramount are looking ahead toward better prospects with Sheridan in tow.
One of those prospects includes a Yellowstone spin-off series titled Madison which has cast Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead and is set to be a “heartfelt study of grief and human connection,” according to Deadline. An additional cast of Kurt Russell, Patrick J. Adams (Suits), and Beau Garrett (Tron: Legacy) was also said to be circling roles in the spin-off, although Sheridan is yet to confirm.
If the Kurt Russell casting does go through, it will further the underlying rivalry between him and Costner, giving way to fun audience gossip fodder. A Reddit user, named RodeoBoss66 even went so far as to claim:
Kurt would be the perfect choice to costar with Michelle Pfeiffer. Even better than McConaughey, since he’s older than she is (Kurt’s 73, Michelle is 66, and Matthew is 54). Plus Kurt actually lives on a ranch and hunts. Enjoys his firearms but he’s not a gun nut, just lives the life for real.
Mentioning the two stars’ Tombstone/Wyatt Earp controversy, the user also claims:
Ironic, though, how the whole Wyatt Earp thing continues to hover over this, and Costner and Russell are connected yet again. Kevin and Kurt have both played Wyatt Earp; in fact Costner was originally attached to TOMBSTONE before he split from that production to make a separate Wyatt Earp movie with Larry Kasdan, which everyone inevitably compares to TOMBSTONE.
Now it’s like here we go again: Costner leaves Yellowstone, so Kurt steps in. Not to play the same character but he’s still the lead. I hope one day someone sits the two of them down together for an interview at the very least.
Now, there has been no update or sound byte from Taylor Sheridan despite Kevin Costner revealing he would be open to considering a return to his show, Yellowstone. The muddied waters that were left behind after Costner walked away to direct and star in Horizon seem too murky for the pair to resolve anymore.