One rumored route for the Yellowstone franchise as it moves beyond Kevin Costner threatens to repeat a pivotal clash in

American Western cinema from more than 30 years ago, and Costner could find himself on the losing end of the battle

once again. The franchise has grown outward from the original hit neo-Western drama series, and has yielded multiple

successful prequel series already in 1883 and 1923. However, what happens next with the present-day Duttons is less clear; three of Yellowstone’s biggest stars are reportedly returning in a sequel spinoff, but there are few details available.

Several big stars have been rumored to lead a spinoff series for the Yellowstone franchise, most notably including Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer. The most recent reports on the franchise indicate that the team behind Yellowstone is eyeing Kurt Russell for a starring role, although it hasn’t been clarified which of the multiple planned spinoffs he might be involved in. If Russell is in fact stepping in to further the story of the present-day Duttons, it will recreate an infamous rivalry from the 1990s that ended with Costner decisively on the losing end.

Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp’s Rivalry & Why Kevin Costner Lost
The two biopics shared the same subject

Tombstone and Wyatt Earp were released within six months of each other, with Tombstone debuting on Christmas Day, 1993 and Wyatt Earp hitting theaters on June 24th, 1994. The two movies are both technically biopics of the same man (the real Wyatt Earp), although Tombstone goes much more in-depth on the supporting characters involved in some of the most famous events from the Old West, including the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride. For comparison, Tombstone’s most memorable character isn’t actually Wyatt Earp; it’s Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday.

Wyatt Earp, on the other hand, is entirely focused on the life story of Earp, the famous American lawman and gambler. The stark difference in focus between the two movies actually explains their connection: Kevin Costner was originally set to work on Tombstone, but disagreed with the movie’s screenwriter, Kevin Jarre (Glory), over the prominence of Wyatt Earp within the story. That led to Costner leaving the movie, and collaborating with director Lawrence Kasdan on the movie Wyatt Earp, which began as a six-hour miniseries before being changed to a three-hour movie to capitalize on Costner’s star power.

The difference in how the two movies fared is just as stark as their focus. Tombstone was widely acclaimed (it currently sits at 73% Certified Fresh on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer) and made over $73 million on its budget of just $25 million. Wyatt Earp, on the other hand, was met with criticism for its rambling story and overly long runtime despite the terrific performances and visuals (31% on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer). It grossed just $55.9 million on a budget of $63 million.

Kurt Russell In A Yellowstone Spinoff Would Repeat Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp
Both men played the same character within six months of each other

When Kevin Costner left Tombstone, the role passed to Kurt Russell, who worked closely with the movie’s producer, James Jacks, to bring the movie back on track after its original director, the aforementioned Kevin Jarre, was fired. While the differences are obvious, it would be an interesting “time is a flat circle” occurrence if Kurt Russell once again (spiritually) replaced Kevin Costner in a key Western role while Costner chased another big-budget three-hour epic.

While Yellowstone being a TV show makes a box office competition between a Russell-led Yellowstone spinoff and Costner’s passion project Horizon: An American Saga impossible, the two projects’ Rotten Tomatoes scores will undoubtedly be compared. With 4.5 seasons of Costner to compare against, a Kurt Russell spinoff would be able to effectively compare streaming numbers as well. Simply put, the parallels behind the current head-to-head and the 31-year-old box office battle are too significant to ignore the comparisons.

Why Kevin Costner May Lose Again With Kurt Russell’s New Yellowstone Spinoff
Yellowstone has a built-in fanbase ready for the next chapter

Ironically if not unsurprisingly, early reviews for Horizon: An American Saga have seen critics echo the same concerns they had with Wyatt Earp: a sprawling yet incoherent story and an overly long runtime. Drama fans have questioned whether Costner made the right call by leaving a hit prestige drama to pursue a personally-expensive passion project, and unfortunately for the Academy Award winner, that question will continue to be asked loudly, and often. If Kurt Russell does step in to progress the current Dutton family story, Costner could find himself on the losing end of the de facto rivalry once again.

A major part of the reason for Yellowstone’s success is the fact that it no longer needs Kevin Costner. His respect for traditional Western drama is undoubtedly what got the ball rolling for the show, but its side characters have developed into valuable parts of the story, and Costner simply isn’t the main reason for the show’s success anymore. Taylor Sheridan’s sharp writing, excellent dramatic performances, and a talented cast of supporting characters are why Yellowstone will have life without Kevin Costner, but Kurt Russell filling the void he leaves would be an ironic addition to the franchise’s behind-the-scenes lore.