“HBO Regrets Passing on ‘Yellowstone’ — The Hollywood Icon Who Was Almost Cast Before Kevin Costner”
HBO Passed on ‘Yellowstone’ and Lost Robert Redford as the Original Star
Before Yellowstone became a cultural juggernaut and the face of the Paramount Network—with Kevin Costner as the iconic John Dutton—creator Taylor Sheridan had very different plans. The show’s core concept of a powerful ranching family fighting to protect their land was always there, but the network, cast, and vision for the series took a dramatic turn in its early days.
Originally, Sheridan pitched Yellowstone to HBO, where he hoped to produce a grounded, modern Western far from the confines of Los Angeles. Tired of the Hollywood grind after years working as an actor on shows like Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars, Sheridan wanted to film in the American West—a place he felt was underrepresented on TV.
In 2013, HBO expressed initial interest, on one condition: Sheridan had to secure Robert Redford as the lead. According to Sheridan, an executive told him, “If you can get us Robert Redford, we’ll greenlight the pilot.” Not only did he pull it off, but Redford reportedly agreed to take on the role of John Dutton. For a brief moment, it looked like Yellowstone would become an HBO prestige drama led by a Hollywood legend.
But behind the scenes, there was hesitation. Despite the talent involved and a proven appetite for Western-style drama—HBO had previously struck gold with Deadwood—executives soured on the project. One reason? They reportedly felt the show skewed too “Middle America” and didn’t align with HBO’s avant-garde brand image.
Sheridan has recalled an executive telling him bluntly, “I don’t think anyone should be living out there [in rural Montana]. It should be a park or something.” Ironically, those very words ended up in the show itself, spoken by Sarah Nguyen (played by Michaela Conlin) to Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley), shortly before her dramatic exit from the series.
Ultimately, HBO passed on Yellowstone, and Redford left the project. Sheridan regained the rights—thanks in part to outgoing HBO executive Michael Lombardo—and took the series elsewhere. That move proved pivotal. Paramount Network, then struggling to establish itself, jumped at the opportunity. Kevin Costner came onboard, and the rest is TV history.
Looking back, it’s hard not to see HBO’s decision as a major misstep. With Redford’s legacy in Westerns—from Jeremiah Johnson to The Horse Whisperer—his casting would’ve brought instant credibility and a multigenerational fanbase. And a Redford-led Yellowstone debuting on HBO could’ve launched the franchise to massive success even faster than it did.
Costner, of course, delivered a stellar performance and made the role of John Dutton his own, helping to build a franchise now considered one of TV’s biggest contemporary Western successes. But the alternate universe in which Robert Redford became the face of Yellowstone—and the show premiered on HBO—is one that continues to intrigue fans and industry insiders alike.
In the end, Sheridan found the freedom to tell the story his way—something that may not have happened at HBO. And while HBO eventually revisited the Western genre with the Deadwood movie in 2019, it had long since ceded the reins to Sheridan, Paramount, and the Yellowstone universe.
As for Redford, the story worked out, too. His absence from Yellowstone allowed him to continue supporting projects like AMC’s Dark Winds, which itself benefited from the renewed interest in Native-led Western storytelling fueled by Yellowstone‘s success.
Still, it’s a decision HBO likely regrets: passing on a franchise that became the heart of a network—and losing a shot at pairing Taylor Sheridan’s vision with one of the greatest actors in American cinema history.
