‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1923’: How Are Kevin Costner and Harrison Ford’s Characters Related?
The Yellowstone universe is expanding once again with the new prequel 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. As the title indicates, the series will take place during the prohibition era after World War I. But how is this generation of Duttons connected to Kevin Costner’s John Dutton on Yellowstone?
‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1923’ is a continuation of ‘1883’
The first Yellowstone prequel 1883 — starring Tim McGraw (James Dutton) and Faith Hill (Margaret Dutton) — told the story of the first Dutton generation to settle in Montana after traveling the Oregon Trail.
The story ended with the death of their daughter Elsa (Isabel May). And it was her passing that prompted them to settle the land that would eventually become the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Originally, Taylor Sheridan had planned a second season of that series. But instead, he decided to continue the story with a second prequel, 1923.
Set 40 years after Elsa’s death, 1923 picks up with Harrison Ford’s Jacob Dutton — the brother of McGraw’s James — as the patriarch of the Dutton Ranch. He is married to Cara Dutton, played by Mirren. Fans will recall that James took a bullet and supposedly died in a flashback scene to 1893 during Yellowstone Season 4.
How are Kevin Costner and Harrison Ford’s characters related?
Jacob’s right-hand man on the ranch is his oldest nephew John Dutton Sr., played by James Badge Dale. Fans first met him in 1883 when he was just five years old and played by Audie Rick.
John Sr. is married to Emma (Marley Shelton), and they have a son named Jack (Darren Mann) — who is also Jacob’s great-nephew. If our math is correct, Costner’s John Dutton was not born until the 1950s. This means that his father — also named John, and played by Dabney Coleman in season 2 — will likely be Jack’s son.
So, this branch of the family tree would be:
- 1st generation: brothers James Dutton (McGraw) and Jacob Dutton (Ford)
- 2nd generation: James’ son John Dutton Sr. (Badge Dale)
- 3rd generation: John Sr.’s son Jack (Mann)
- 4th generation: Jack’s son John (played by Coleman as an older man)
- 5th generation: John Dutton (Costner)
If we’re right, that makes Ford’s Jacob Dutton the great-great-great uncle of Costner’s John Dutton.
‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1923’ will cover 2 generations of Duttons
Fans will likely get some clarification on the Dutton family tree when 1923 premieres in December. Paramount+ has yet to announce a premiere date. But, considering they will use Yellowstone Season 5 to launch the prequel, we are predicting a December 18 premiere on the Paramount Network and a second episode on Christmas night before it moves to the streamer exclusively.
Even though we don’t have an exact premiere date just yet, we do have a series description. And that reveals that fans will get to see two Dutton generations as the story unfolds.
“1923 focuses on the Dutton family’s next two generations as they struggle to survive historic drought, lawlessness and Prohibition, and an epidemic of cattle theft; all battled beneath the cloud of Montana’s great depression, which preceded the nation by almost a decade,” the series description reads.
Yellowstone Season 5 premieres Sunday, November 13 on the Paramount Network. Bonus episodes of 1883 are also coming soon, ahead of the December premiere of 1923.
