After a two-year absence, and after the fifth and final-ish season of its predecessor Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 landed on the 2025 TV schedule to wrap up its second season with a variety of deadly outcomes for multiple main characters, including Julia Schlaepfer’s Alexandra Dutton and Brandon Sklenar’s Spencer. Things were thankfully less fatal for Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren’s Jacob and Cara Dutton, propping the metaphorical door open for their potential returns. Just how much potential’s there, though?
One might think the answer is “zilch,” but that’d underestimate just how enjoyable both Ford and Mirren found filming 1923 to be. Both A-tier actors were on hand to talk about the Paramount+ series for an FYC Q&A — an event I doubt either would have attended if they weren’t all-in on the Duttons — and while Ford shared his interest level on potentially reprising Jacob for an upcoming Yellowstone show, Mirren talked baby John and the long-gestating sequel-prequel 1944, first announced in November 2023.
Harrison Ford On Possibly Returning To Yellowstone-Verse As Jacob Dutton
Despite starring in some of the most successful and celebrated movie franchises in existence in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford isn't an actor that's ever been synonymous with sequels, and even his Jack Ryan movies are mutually exclusive enough. But he spoke quite highly about 1923's final episode, saying it was "fantastic" and "probaby the densest script" that he's lent his efforts to in years.
So with 1944 on the way and no direct signs of when and/or how Jacob and Cara meet their makers, it's still feasible for Ford's now-retired rancher to survive into the next series in grandpa-mode. And it doesn't sound like the actor would reject the offer to come back, either. As he put it:
I'm still alive. [If Taylor Sheridan] asks nice. I have no idea what his plans are.
One can only hope that franchise ringleader Taylor Sheridan himself has a clear idea of where he's taking the Duttons' story, and whether it'll eventually link up directly with the mothership series. And logistically speaking, I don't think he'd be that interested in having 100-year-old Jacob Dutton strutting around in 1944, but I think it would be a great move to pepper that show with flashbacks that lay out how Jacob, Cara and Spencer got on together after their extended time apart.
But Helen Mirren's Thoughts About Baby John Have Me More Curious
Interestingly enough, 1923 ends on an adorable note for Cara Dutton, whose final moments have her cradling Spender and Alex's John Dutton II. And for all the speculation that's gone into that baby's existence - here's what the cast told CinemaBlend about it - no one taking part in the FYC chat was coughing up any additional details.
But Mirren sounded pretty interested in the idea of 1923 closing out on youth and age coming together in such a way, and I have to wonder if she'd be interested in exploring Cara's motherly skills with an actual infant instead of grown kids. Here's how she described it:
I love the fact that the future of Yellowstone is left in this tiny baby, in the arms of two older people, grandparents age. I thought that was a very interesting concept. And Taylor now I think is going to do 1944 as I understand, so that will be interesting too, the next generation.
Indeed, that generation will likely be heavily impacted by both Cara and Jacob Dutton, as well as Spencer (whose flash-forward death was laid out in 1923's final moments). So it would possibly feel like too empty of a house if 1944 arrives and it's just Spencer, another wife, and two kids that viewers don't know anything about. Sure would be good to have something familiar around in that case, such as Harrison Ford's face made up to look 20 years old. Or maybe that'd be frightening. I can't quite tell.
I guess it's worth pointing out here that 1923 technically hasn't been canceled or anything, so it's possible that Season 3 could happen and give fans a more direct look at Cara and Jacob raising John II. But we'll have to wait and see if Paramount+'s execs make any publicized decisions going forward.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
