Yellowstone star Josh Lucas has opened up about the possibility of a young John Dutton spinoff joining the number of shows already in the expansive Western universe. Lucas has portrayed a younger version of John in multiple flashbacks throughout the show. His appearances have added layers to the character, played by Kevin Costner in the present day, helping add context to the core story.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Lucas addressed the possibility of a young John Dutton show joining the ranks of Yellowstone’s many spinoffs. The actor spoke about how he was filming the forthcoming miniseries Palm Royale while also portraying a young John, saying his time on the Western makes him open to come back for more. Check out what Lucas had to say below:
Screen Rant: My dad’s a huge Yellowstone fan. I’m curious if you’re interested in exploring that world further, maybe with a young John Dutton prequel series.
Josh Lucas: First of all, thank you, Dad. Screen Rant has really been lovely to me, because they’ve talked about that consistently, and it means a lot to me when people reach out to me asking about me playing the young John Dutton or having a prequel series.
What was striking about Palm Royale is that I was shooting [it] playing Douglas on the weekdays and flying on Friday night to Montana, slapping on a mustache and putting on basically Costner’s voice to play young John Dutton. It was like my weekend job. And it was a crazy almost duality or bipolar reality because obviously John Dutton is a dark, powerful mysterious figure, and I’m basing it all on what Kevin has done, but I also think it’s a world that I would absolutely love to explore further.
I can’t tell you how incredible being with those horses in that place with the history of where Taylor [Sheridan] goes with that show and those characters [was]. It’s one of my favorite jobs in my life.
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A Young John Dutton Show Could Further Expand Yellowstone’s Timeline
The possibility of a show focusing on Lucas’ younger version of John is very real, given the number of spinoffs already in various stages of production. A Matthew McConaughey-led sequel to Yellowstone is expected to arrive after the main series ends, as well as 6666, which focuses on the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas. Other spinoffs include 1923 season 2 and 1944, prequels focused on the Duttons that owned Yellowstone Ranch in those years.
The prequel spinoffs in particular showcase how series creator Taylor Sheridan is interested in fleshing out the history of the Dutton family tree. While the parts of John’s life that have been seen in flashbacks have been relevant to the main story, there is still room for his youth to be expanded upon. Whether that be through a miniseries or a multi-season show, there’s room for Yellowstone’s present-day patriarch to have stories of his younger years expanded upon.
However, with four spinoffs already in development, it would likely be quite some time before an additional Yellowstone prequel was to be made. If there’s a chance for a spinoff about John’s younger years, then it probably wouldn’t happen until after the release of the prequels currently in production. However, with Sheridan’s knack for expanding the Western franchise in various forms, the door is still open for a younger John to take the spotlight.