Yellowstone season 5B opened with a surprising twist as John Dutton died of a supposed suicide, which was later revealed to be a murder. Fans were shocked to see the show killing off its protagonist, who had been at the center of the plot for five seasons.
What was even more astonishing was the character died off-screen and did not receive a proper farewell from the hit neo-Western series. This left everyone wondering why was John Dutton killed in Yellowstone.
Kevin Costner, who played the Dutton patriarch since the beginning of the series, decided to quit the project following the release of season 5 part 1. Instead of replacing the iconic actor, the creators decided to end the character.
Why did they kill off John Dutton in Yellowstone?
Kevin Costner had initially agreed to be a part of both parts of Yellowstone season 5. However, the production of the season got delayed and led to scheduling issues with the actor's other projects, particularly, his ambitious Western saga, the Horizon films.
Following the shoot of season 5A, Costner started having discussions with Yellowstone creators to figure out a way to shoot for the second part without conflicting its filming schedule with Horizon: An American Saga.
The actor requested to film all his scenes in season 5B within a week, which was denied by the makers. Costner then decided to leave the show for good to focus on his dream project, which led to a long off-screen feud between him and series co-creator Taylor Sheridan.
After Costner confirmed his exit from the show, Paramount announced that season 5B would mark the final episodes of the series. Fans then started to wonder how would the writers justify the absence of the lead actor.
The question was finally answered when season 5B premiered on Paramount Network on November 10, 2024, and John Dutton was killed off-screen.
With the patriarch’s death, the focus shifts to his children, with Beth and Kayce trying to avenge their father’s death from their brother Jamie, while the latter has set his eyes on the Dutton ranch.
John Dutton was going to die anyway in Yellowstone
John Dutton’s death might have come as a surprise, but series creators had always planned to kill off the character at some point. However, they hadn't planned to end it so abruptly and would have possibly given him a satisfying conclusion if Kevin Costner had continued with the show.
Hence, John’s death does not change the outcome of the story. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Sheridan confirmed that Costner’s exit will not alter the ending of the show. He said:
“I'm disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it.”
Christina Voros, who has directed several episodes of Yellowstone also explained that John had to be killed anyway for the story to move forward. She said in an interview with USA Today:
“What I do know is that he [Sheridan] always had a version of the end in mind long before any offscreen drama. With generational dramas going all the way back to Shakespeare and the Greeks, the death of the king is archetypal. Avoiding that was never in the cards. My sense is that was always where we were going.”
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In one of her interviews, Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, reiterated that John was supposed to be dead before the end of the series. However, the way of ending the character would have been completely different if Costner had stayed associated with the series.
Yellowstone season 5B airs new episodes on Paramount Network on Sundays.
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