Before Yellowstone became a billion-dollar cultural juggernaut and Kevin Costner the steely-eyed face of the Dutton dynasty, Taylor Sheridan had a very different leading man saddled up for the role. Yes, the late Robert Redford, who passed away on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89. Indeed, Sheridan’s original vision for the modern Western epic not only began at HBO, but was set to be fronted by Redford himself, the cinematic outlaw, the American icon.
Despite Redford’s agreement, HBO balked, dismissing the concept as “too Middle America” and declaring rural Montana better off as a national park. Sheridan, stunned, later repurposed that very insult into a line of dialogue in Yellowstone, weaponizing the network’s elitism in his own script. Meanwhile, Redford quietly stepped away from the project. He would never don the Dutton hat, a decision that, in hindsight, now feels like a seismic turning point in TV history.
The world now mourns Redford’s loss, confirmed by his publicist C indi Berger (via CNN): “Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly.”
Yellowstone: Why HBO Rejected Robert Redford for Taylor Sheridan’s Western Series
After years of acting in series like Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy, Taylor Sheridan had soured on Los Angeles. He wanted to tell stories rooted in the rugged terrain of the American West. But dreams need deep pockets, and he turned to HBO, then at its creative peak, to fund Yellowstone (per The Hollywood Reporter).
The pitch wasn’t empty; it had grit, a clear vision, and a name: Robert Redford. When HBO said they needed a “Robert Redford type”, Sheridan brought them Redford himself. Yet, despite having Redford on board, HBO passed. Why? Their executives didn’t believe in the idea of a Western centered around “rural Montana” and had little interest in what they deemed too Middle American for their brand.
Sheridan recalled:
We go to lunch in some snazzy place in West L.A. And [Yellowstone co-creator] John Linson finally asks: ‘Why don’t you want to make it?’ And the vp goes: ‘Look, it just feels so Middle America. We’re HBO, we’re avant-garde, we’re trendsetters. This feels like a step backward.
And frankly, I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think anyone should be living out there [in rural Montana]. It should be a park or something.’
The irony? HBO had already tasted success with shows like Deadwood and Westworld. Still, they let Sheridan walk, and in a rare move, Lombardo helped return the rights to him before departing the network. Now with Paramount’s backing, Yellowstone turned into a TV juggernaut, with multiple spin-offs and global appeal. HBO, meanwhile, missed the train, or more fittingly, the last horse out of town.
Our View: Could Robert Redford Have Made Taylor Sheridan’s Western Even Bigger?
HBO’s approach feels like a classic case of having your cake and eating it too, dangling the promise of greenlighting the show if Taylor Sheridan could snag Robert Redford, but never truly intending to leap. It reeks of corporate indecision masked as creative vision. Essentially, HBO probably used Redford’s name as bait without committing to the story or its setting. That’s a risky game when dealing with the talent of Sheridan’s and Redford’s caliber.
Redford had the Western pedigree. From Jeremiah Johnson to The Horse Whisperer, his screen presence was tailor-made for the role of John Dutton, a land-hardened patriarch protecting what’s his. His quiet intensity and rugged authenticity could’ve lent Yellowstone a gravitas that even Kevin Costner, despite his strong performance, couldn’t entirely replicate.
And then there’s the marketing goldmine. Redford hadn’t done a major TV role since the 1960s. His appearance in Yellowstone would have been appointment viewing, the return of a legend, not just in cinema, but to his Western roots. The audience that grew up with him and those discovering his legacy would’ve flocked in droves.
Still, Yellowstone found its home and then some. Costner stepped up, the show exploded, and the Dutton empire continues to expand. Meanwhile, Redford’s legacy lives on, not as John Dutton, but as the man who almost was.
So, was this one of HBO’s most colossal creative miscalculations? Could Redford’s presence have made Yellowstone even more critically bulletproof, or was Costner the only man who could truly hold the reins?
Tell us what you think.
Yellowstone is currently streaming on Paramount+, along with its spin-offs, 1883, 1923.
