Kevin Costner Joined Yellowstone for Its Original Vision — But Then It Changed
Yellowstone’s Original Plan Was Very Different — And It’s What Got Kevin Costner on Board
Between 2018 and 2024, Yellowstone became one of the most popular and successful dramas on television. But when Kevin Costner first signed on, it wasn’t supposed to be the sprawling, multi-season saga audiences came to know. Instead, the show was initially pitched as a limited series with a tighter, more contained story focused on the Dutton family.
Costner, who would go on to headline the show for nearly its entire five-season run, originally thought he was committing to a single-season project — a one-and-done TV event. But as the series gained momentum, Yellowstone expanded well beyond that vision, growing into a major franchise with multiple prequels and upcoming spinoffs.
This shift from a self-contained story to a long-running drama changed everything — and many of the show’s most memorable moments wouldn’t have happened if co-creator Taylor Sheridan had stuck to his original blueprint. Still, the version of Yellowstone that became a cultural juggernaut looked very different from the one Costner agreed to join in 2017.
Originally Pitched as a “Long Movie”
When Taylor Sheridan first approached Kevin Costner, he described Yellowstone as something more in line with a cinematic experience — a limited series with the scale and tone of a feature-length Western. Costner, whose own directorial work includes sweeping epics like Dances with Wolves and Open Range, was immediately drawn to that concept.
“When it was first pitched to me by Taylor, it was one season and [like] a long movie, which [is] speaking my language,” Costner said. “But ultimately, I think what happened was the studio didn’t want that. And because he’s such a prolific writer, he said, ‘I can do that. I can make a series that goes on.’”
Sheridan may not have been in a position to push back against the studio’s desire for something bigger, but his ability to rapidly write high-quality episodes helped pave the way for Yellowstone’s evolution into a long-form narrative — without abandoning the show’s cinematic visual style.
Costner Was On Board for More Seasons
Although Costner had signed on for just one season, he was open to continuing the story. He agreed to three seasons early on — and ultimately stayed through five. As Yellowstone became a ratings juggernaut and cultural phenomenon, Costner remained committed to playing John Dutton, a role that has since become one of the most iconic in his decades-long career.
“I stepped up and said, ‘I’ll do it for three seasons,’” he recalled. “I ended up doing it for five.”
Even as the series expanded and transformed, it stayed rooted in the visual and thematic DNA of Sheridan’s original idea — a grounded, gritty Western epic, just told over a much longer period. And while Yellowstone evolved far beyond what Kevin Costner first signed up for, it’s clear he became just as invested in the journey as the fans who followed it.
