For those who follow “Yellowstone,” it’s clear that the ultimate authority is John Dutton. Portrayed by Kevin Costner in the series’ current timeline and by Josh Lucas in flashbacks, John Dutton is the rule maker. Even after his death, his influence heavily impacts events in the much-debated “Yellowstone” finale. An intriguing aspect of the show is the unwritten rule that Costner and Lucas were never to be on the Dutton Ranch simultaneously. Surprisingly, this wasn’t just because their portrayals belonged to distinct eras.

In a 2021 discussion with Collider, Lucas shared insights about his role in the neo-Western series. “Portraying an iconic and real character is challenging, especially when the individual is a fellow actor,” Lucas noted. “But with Kevin, it was unique since it involved Taylor Sheridan.” He described his collaboration with Sheridan as a dream fulfilled, highlighting that Sheridan was deliberate about scheduling to keep Costner and Lucas separate.

“Taylor and I discussed the concept of ‘The Godfather.’ When [Robert] De Niro played Brando, the goal wasn’t to imitate Marlon Brando’s appearance or mannerisms,” Lucas explained. This approach was crucial in ensuring that both Costner and Lucas maintained the authenticity of John Dutton’s character through different timelines. Sheridan’s intent was for Lucas not to imitate Costner’s version but to embody the role faithfully as written in the script.

When “Yellowstone” first began, Josh Lucas’ John Dutton was a regular part of the series. Three of Season 1’s nine episodes featured flashbacks to the 1990s, when John was still raising his children to take over the Dutton Ranch for him one day. But as the series progressed, Lucas’ involvement changed. By the show’s second season, he only appeared once, and he didn’t show up in the third or fourth seasons at all. It wouldn’t be until Season 5 Part 1 that the younger John Dutton would return to the series in full force, appearing in another five episodes over the course of the show’s final season. However, when Kevin Costner’s contemporary version of the character was killed off, Lucas was left in the dust.

“‘The fifth season is where you’re gonna come in,'” Lucas recalled Taylor Sheridan explaining to him in an interview with Deadline. Back then, Sheridan wasn’t sure if “Yellowstone” would pursue an entire season’s worth of flashbacks or how they would factor into the narrative, but the filmmaker always intended for John Dutton’s past to impact his present. The problem was Costner’s unceremonious exit from “Yellowstone” left the series partially adrift, and any plans Sheridan had to further expand Lucas’ role were dashed. It was a shame too, as Season 5 Part 2 could have just as easily juxtaposed flashbacks featuring the younger John Dutton with the grief of his children. Unfortunately, Sheridan didn’t go that route.

Although Josh Lucas originally wanted to play Rip, a role perfectly embodied by Cole Hauser, we cannot understate how perfectly cast he is as the younger John Dutton. There’s a different sort of intensity to the younger John than there is when Kevin Costner plays the older iteration. Part of this is because Lucas’ version has his whole life ahead of him, while Costner’s is on his last leg. Still, for John, legacy and promise are the most important things, and that’s something that ought to be further expanded upon across the “Yellowstone” universe.

For many, a young John Dutton prequel series would be the way to go, and it would certainly allow Lucas to explore this character more than we ever got in his nine brief appearances on the original show. In the aforementioned Deadline interview, Lucas noted that Taylor Sheridan’s intent with the “Yellowstone” flashbacks was to “fill in the gaps of who John Dutton is and why he does the things he does.” In the end, that only partially came across, as the flashbacks themselves felt largely incomplete. No doubt, Costner’s premature exit had something to do with this.

That said, Sheridan ought to follow in his own footsteps and pursue a prequel series — or perhaps even be a miniseries. After all, the “Yellowstone” brand has successfully expanded with the likes of “1883” and “1923,” and there are more prequels and spin-offs already underway. Costner’s John Dutton may be dead and buried, but Lucas’ rendition lives on in the “Yellowstone” franchise’s past, where there are still plenty more stories to tell.