The good news for Yellowstone fans is that the second part of the last season will be released in a few months but the sad news is that Kevin Costner will not be returning to his role. Having played John Dutton III for five seasons, it didn’t take long for Kevin Costner to become a fan-favorite in the show. Therefore, when he announced his retirement from the Taylor Sheridan neo-Western drama, fans were devastated to see the heart of the show walk away.
Now the question is, what will happen to John Dutton in the second part of season 5? There are two very obvious choices for the showrunners – either recast the character or kill him off in a freak accident off-screen. Since it won’t be easy continuing the story without John, recasting seems like a good option and we have just the right guy for the job – Kiefer Sutherland. However, even this may come with its own repercussions.
Can Kiefer Sutherland Save Yellowstone?
Taking to his social media, Kevin Costner revealed that he wouldn’t be returning to play John Dutton in season 5 part two, or even in the future. He stated that the realization hit him while he was working on his Horizon: An American Saga film series.
He added that despite choosing not to return, he loved his time on the show and the relationship he was able to develop with the fans.
When this news broke, fans were both disheartened and confused; disheartened because they loved Costner in the show and confused as this decision left John’s future in a haze. Since the next part of the series is slated for a November 2024 release, we are guessing we’ll know what’s next for John soon enough.
If the makers decide to recast the character, they will have to find an actor who is as talented as Costner and has had some experience working on Western projects before. And as a fan rightly pointed out, who better for the job than the Forsaken actor Kiefer Sutherland?
On a Reddit post, a fan who goes by the username ‘onepercentbatman’ stated that instead of killing off Dutton off-screen, it would be better to “replace him with a similar-aged good actor who can ride a horse and act tough.”
Thanks to films like Forsaken, Young Guns, The Cowboy Way, and Cowboy Up, Sutherland sure knows a thing or two about being a part of a Western flick. If he were to replace Costner in Yellowstone, we are almost certain that he would fall into character seamlessly!
Recasting John Dutton May be Risky
We know, we know, no one is ready to say goodbye to John yet, and killing him off would just break our hearts! However, recasting the character isn’t a safe bet either.
Why? Well, fans are so accustomed to Costner’s portrayal of John that it would be difficult for them to see anyone else in his shoes. Many would agree with the Reddit user who replied to OP stating, “I think it would be tough to find an actor that could fill in for him.”
Another user replied that it would be better to just kill John off as no one can possibly “replicate the ‘boring,’ ‘tired,’ and sarcasm that Costner delivers.”
On the other hand, though, some fans were all for the idea of Sutherland replacing Costner as one said, “This is actually a good idea in my mind! It’s a great fit actor wise. Hell, it would even pull me back in as a fan!” and another wrote, “I think he could pull it off.”
Those who are on the ‘recast’ team have a few other actors who would also be a good fit for the role including Liam Neeson, John Travolta, and Harrison Ford.
Either way, Costner has left Taylor Sheridan and Yellowstone in a tough position as no matter which way they decide to go, there will be criticism waiting for them at the end. If they recast the character, fans may not find the new actor good enough and if they choose to kill John off, fans may find that unnecessary as well. It looks like the show has found itself in a lose-lose situation and it’ll be interesting to see how Sheridan deals with this major obstacle.