Why John Dutton’s death was always Taylor Sheridan’s plan

It turns out that John Dutton’s Yellowstone death, a natural consequence of Kevin Costner’s real-life exit, was always in the cards.

When Kevin Costner announced in June 2024 that he was exiting the series (following rumors and speculation about a feud between Costner and Taylor Sheridan), many fans were devastated. After all, John Dutton was the face of the series as patriarch of the Dutton clan.

While real-life circumstances necessitated a sudden and shocking end to the beloved character, it turns out his death was inevitable.

In a new interview with Yellowstone EP Christina Voros, she explains that the end the series’ finale was built up from the beginning, and always needed a certain patriarch to ride into the sunset.

Why John Dutton had to die

In THR’s interview with Voros, she first reveals that the series’ ending, with the land returning to the Broken Rock tribe exactly as 1883’s prophecy predicts, was always the plan for series creator Taylor Sheridan. “Taylor always knew how this was going to end. In some ways it’s surprising that people didn’t know that before they saw it, because it does feel inevitable. “

Paramount

She continues to explain why John Dutton would have died regardless of Costner’s exit. “My understanding is that was always the conclusion, because at the end of the day, the solution that Kayce discovers is not a solution that would have been possible if John Dutton were alive,” she reveals. “Inevitably, at some point, he was going to die. That is the inevitability of it.”

While John Dutton’s fate was always sealed, Costner’s departure may have impacted the timing somewhat. “Even if there had been 17 more seasons with Kevin Costner, eventually in the story that is the saga of Yellowstone, that’s what happens,” she clarifies. “The patriarch passes and the legacy moves onto his children.”

As the legacy moves on, so do the characters, with Beth and Rip getting their own new chapter alongside 6666 and other potential spinoffs.