Kevin Costner’s New Yellowstone Show Will Be A Harsh Reminder Of John Dutton III’s Disappointing Fate

Kevin Costner as John Dutton looking concerned in Yellowstone
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
Kevin Costner is working on his four-part epic Western film series — Horizon: An American Saga. The first movie premiered in June 2024, and Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 is expected to be released in 2025. As for the third and fourth films, Chapter 3 is in production and Chapter 4 is in development.

So, the cast of Yellowstone season 5, part 2 had to go on without Costner. Since his character was the face of the show, though, the premiere had to explain his absence. Many speculated about John’s fate in the months leading up to the first episode of season 5, part 2. Some thought John would die, while others believed the character would be out of the state. Unfortunately, many viewers’ worst dreams came true. The good news is that Costner is returning to the Yellowstone franchise; the bad news is that his character’s ending will follow him wherever he goes.

Kevin Costner Is Returning To Yellowstone, But Not The Taylor Sheridan Show
The Actor Is Starring In A Docuseries
John Dutton looking frustrated in Yellowstone season 1 episode 5
Starting on Saturday, February 8, Kevin Costner appears in the three-part documentary Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner. The docuseries airs on Fox Nation, dropping episodes weekly. Costner serves as the host and executive producer of Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner, which centers around his journey to walk the same path as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir did during their Yosemite expedition in 1903.

Kevin Costner from Yellowstone and Billy Bob Thornthon from Landman

Kevin Costner from Yellowstone and Billy Bob Thornthon from Landman
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Kevin Costner’s Continued Connection To Yellowstone Makes His Character’s Fate More Disappointing
John Dutton III’s Death Is Highly Controversial
Given his involvement in Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner, it’s clear that Yellowstone meant a lot to Kevin Costner. So, while exciting, the new docuseries only makes John Dutton III’s death more frustrating and heartbreaking. It reminds viewers what could have been if Costner hadn’t left Yellowstone before the ending. Everything would have been different. Unfortunately, that is not the reality we live in, and John is truly dead in the Yellowstone universe.

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“I wish it was sexier than that”: Taylor Sheridan Learned a Valuable Lesson in His Most Challenging Movie Before Yellowstone.. Taylor Sheridan has become a household name thanks to the enormous success of Yellowstone and its ever-expanding universe of spin-offs, but before he was redefining the television Western, he was grinding his way through some of Hollywood’s toughest lessons. Recently, Sheridan admitted that one of his most challenging movie experiences, long before Yellowstone existed, provided him with wisdom that shaped him into the storyteller he is today. With his trademark blunt humor, he confessed, “I wish it was sexier than that,” making clear that the road to success was paved with missteps, frustrations, and a lot of trial-and-error. Sheridan’s journey is a testament to persistence. Before his name became synonymous with hit series, he was best known to audiences as an actor. Many remember his role as David Hale on Sons of Anarchy, but Sheridan often recalls the difficulty of being an actor-for-hire, constantly at the mercy of casting decisions and executives. That frustration eventually pushed him to transition into writing and directing, though the early years of that career shift were anything but glamorous. The movie in question—his so-called “most challenging project”—was not the type of Hollywood breakthrough most writers dream about. It wasn’t a high-profile studio film, nor was it an indie darling that won accolades at Sundance. Instead, it was a grueling, underfunded project that Sheridan now looks back on with a mix of humility and appreciation. What made it challenging was not just the lack of resources, but the disconnect between his creative vision and the machinery of filmmaking that often stripped away authenticity. For Sheridan, who would later build Yellowstone around authenticity to ranch life and cowboy culture, that clash was a painful but essential lesson. In his own words, Sheridan noted that the experience taught him “what not to do” more than anything else. As he attempted to find his voice as a writer and storyteller, he was confronted with the realities of production—the compromises, the meddling, and the dilution of themes he cared about. It was, by his account, deeply frustrating. And yet, it hardened him. It forced him to recognize that if he wanted to tell the kinds of stories that mattered to him, he would need to do it his own way, on his own terms. That mindset is what would later lead him to insist on creative control when developing Yellowstone for Paramount. Sheridan’s quip—“I wish it was sexier than that”—speaks to his no-nonsense personality. Fans may imagine a dramatic, cinematic origin story for a man who now commands Hollywood power, but Sheridan is quick to undercut that fantasy. His truth is less glamorous: long days, tight budgets, difficult compromises, and a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. But embedded in that struggle was the foundation for the empire he would later build. The experience shaped his philosophy about storytelling. Sheridan realized that authenticity mattered more than spectacle. His later works—Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River—reflect that commitment to grounded realism, unflinching grit, and morally complex characters. Without the sting of that difficult film, he may not have pursued the stripped-down, emotionally raw style that has now become his trademark. More importantly, it taught Sheridan about resilience. In Hollywood, many careers die after a bad experience. Scripts get shelved, directors burn out, and writers compromise until their voices are unrecognizable. Sheridan chose the opposite path. Instead of giving up or bowing to pressure, he doubled down on the importance of staying true to himself. That resilience echoes in the stories he writes—characters who endure pain, fight against impossible odds, and cling to their values even when the world tells them otherwise. Yellowstone is the ultimate culmination of those lessons. The series embodies Sheridan’s belief in authenticity, from its rugged depiction of ranch life to its refusal to water down the brutality of the West. Beth Dutton’s razor-sharp wit, Rip Wheeler’s unwavering loyalty, and John Dutton’s fight to protect his land are all born of Sheridan’s insistence on telling stories with emotional truth. The massive success of Yellowstone is proof that the lessons he learned in that difficult early film were not wasted but instead transformed into a philosophy that resonates with millions of viewers. Sheridan himself acknowledges that Yellowstone would not exist without those early struggles. His “non-sexy” lesson from a failed or difficult project became the fire that fueled his drive. Every frustration became a reminder of what he never wanted to compromise again. Every disappointing choice made by others on that project reinforced his determination to be the one in charge of his own stories. By the time Paramount came knocking, Sheridan had sharpened his voice into something powerful, uncompromising, and distinctly his own. Fans often look at Sheridan now—commanding one of the most powerful storytelling empires on television—and imagine that he has always been destined for greatness. But Sheridan himself resists that narrative. He wants people to understand that failure, difficulty, and humility are part of success. His career is proof that the most important lessons often come not from triumphs but from challenges that break you down and force you to rebuild stronger.

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