Yellowstone Reunited 2 Actors 24 Years After They Made 1 of the Best Modern Westerns of All Time

Fans can always count on writers and directors to have a deep knowledge of the genres they make movies in, especially when that filmmaker becomes synonymous with a particular genre. In the case of Taylor Sheridan, it became evident early in his career that he had a knack for the Western genre based on some of the movies he was writing. While Sicario merges multiple genres, there are Western elements in the film. Sheridan showed audiences that he had an eye for contemporary Westerns as early as 2016 when he wrote Hell or High Water. When it came time to make his hit series for Paramount+, he perfected the new contemporary Western when he made Yellowstone. Since making the Yellowstone spin-offs, Sheridan has also shown his affinity for classical Westerns by making modern versions of the genre with 1883 and 1923. This proved that Taylor Sheridan was a pure Western genre storyteller with a deep understanding of the genre.

This doesn’t just apply to the writer and directors, but also to the actors. When Taylor Sheridan cast Kevin Costner in the role of John Dutton, it wasn’t just because he thought Costner would be perfect for the part, but also because Costner shared Sheridan’s passion for the Western genre, with a similar love for it. Costner himself is more than just an actor, as he directed multiple Westerns in the ’90s and ’00s that helped shape the genre for the modern age. Both Sheridan and Costner have a vast knowledge and care for the genre that goes back decades, and many of the films that came out during the course of film history. Sheridan clearly looked at Costner’s own work in the genre and probably enjoyed his films back in the ’90s as much as any other fan during that time. Therefore, Sheridan looked at some of Costner’s films and pulled a lot of influence from them when making Yellowstone. This shows the decision to cast Costner but also to cast other actors from some of Costner’s classic films. This has caused a few interesting reunions on the set of Yellowstone.