Harrison Ford and ‘1923’ Cast Need a ‘Flow Chart’ to Discover How Dutton Family Tree Connects to ‘Yellowstone’
Harrison Ford is fixing up a Dutton family tree to find out how “1923” led to “Yellowstone.”
The Paramount+ cinematic universe, created by Taylor Sheridan, has spurred multiple spin-offs, including fellow prequel series “1893.” Ford’s co-star James Badge Dale revealed that the “1923” cast has tried to determine all of the relations leading up to “Yellowstone” patriarch John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner. [Editor’s Note: The following story contains spoilers for “1923.”]
“This was the running joke. Harrison and I would be like, ‘I think we’re related, I don’t know how,'” Dale told The Hollywood Reporter of tracing back their characters’ lineages to Costner’s role. “We all need a flow chart.”
Dale continued, “I don’t know the tree. I’ve seen [flow charts] online, when people have tried to create them. I don’t know if those are accurate or not. And here’s the thing, this is Taylor [Sheridan’s] universe. We could be saying one thing or thinking one thing, and Taylor can decide something else and we’ll be watching ‘1943’ and realize it’s a little different and he’ll change it up.”
Audie Rick played John Sr. in prequel “1893,” which Dale only watched halfway through filming “1923.” And though John Sr. was killed during a shootout in a shocking twist, that doesn’t mean he’s done with the Yellowstone world.
“I think John Dutton Sr. is a huge part of this story. From 1883 to 1923, I don’t know what Taylor has in store,” Dale added. “If he calls me? Cool, I’ll be there in a second. The experience I had with this crew and this cast, and specifically Harrison and Helen, but mostly Harrison, was once-in-a-lifetime. There aren’t many movie stars left. This is an epic piece of writing. I was proud to be a part of it.”
Ford previously told IndieWire that he watched a “good deal” of “Yellowstone” to prepare to join the fictional Dutton family. “This [is] developed by the same people so it has a lot of the same ambition. But this is a different period in time, so it is a very different feel,” Ford said.
Costner’s John Dutton will continue his reign in “Yellowstone” Season 5, set to return in Summer 2023.