Warning: SPOILERS for 1923 Season 2’s Finale – “A Dream and a Memory”

Harrison Ford is willing to return as Jacob Dutton after 1923 season 2, and it could genuinely work. The action star is a cinematic icon, known for his heroic roles in Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Blade Runner.

While 1923 season 2’s finale seemingly shuttered Ford’s role in the Prohibition-era saga, the Yellowstone prequels about the Dutton family will continue, and Ford could surely have a place there since his Jacob Dutton character, at 80 years old, is still alive at the end of 1923 season 2.

The final chapter of Taylor Sheridan’s 1920s Yellowstone show saw Jacob maintain his stake in the Dutton Ranch, passing it to his nephew, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar).

The war hero arrived just in time to win the family’s war against Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn), taking his men out at the train station in Livingston and the ranch before killing Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) for an explosive finish.

Spencer, too, could return in the next Yellowstone prequel, 1944, and appearances from actors like Ford and Sklenar after 1923 seem quite feasible.

Harrison Ford Is Willing To Return To Yellowstone

Harrison Ford Plays Jacob Dutton In 1923

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Harrison Ford is willing to return to Yellowstone as Jacob Dutton. Speaking at a FYC event in Los Angeles, he said, “I’m still alive,” of his 1923 character, and Ford joked that he would return if Taylor Sheridan “asks nice.”

While Ford added that he has “no idea what his plans are,” speaking of what the Yellowstone executive producer will do after 1923, there’s certainly a place for Ford in the follow-up to the 1920s show. Helen Mirren, who plays Jacob’s wife, Cara Dutton, also said she’s open to returning in the next segment.

The Dutton family’s story will likely continue in a show that would pick up 20 years later amid the events of World War II, titled 1944.

Spencer would presumably be running the ranch in the next chapter, raising the next generation of the Dutton family tree. Spencer’s wife, Alexandra Dutton (Julia Schlaepfer), delivered their baby in the finale just before her death, succumbing to hypothermia but not before miraculously bearing a son named John.

Her offspring appears to be John Dutton II, the link to Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone character, and 1944 is primed to confirm the detail.

How Harrison Ford’s Yellowstone Return As Jacob Dutton Could Work

Harrison Could Return In Flashbacks Or As A 100-Year-Old

Harrison Ford could return as Jacob Dutton in 1944, and there’s no official report on 1923 ending, so his return in a potential 1923 season 3 isn’t off the table either. Still, Taylor Sheridan has said he envisioned 1923 as a two-part story (per Deadline).

If 1923 season 3 happened, then Jacob could return as the roughly 80-year-old man that we parted with in the finale. Still, Spencer Dutton’s time jump in 1923 season 2 shows Spencer’s death 45 years later, offering a somewhat conclusive ending to the Prohibition-era story, even though the war hero’s story would continue in 1944.

Ultimately, the 1940s saga is the best place for Ford’s return, and there are a few genuinely feasible options. The Yellowstone franchise is full of flashbacks that enrich the story, and Ford could return as Jacob Dutton in 1944 flashbacks that show what came next for the grandparents after 1923.

Ford’s return would be the perfect opportunity for Yellowstone to give Jacob Dutton a proper sendoff, perhaps showing his death alongside Brandon Sklenar as Spencer, emulating the scene between Kevin Costner and Dabney Coleman as John Dutton II in Yellowstone season 2, which showed the latter’s peaceful death.

Harrison Ford’s return could give Jacob Dutton a proper sendoff.

Per Variety, Brandon Sklenar is willing to return as Spencer Dutton in 1944, so a few flashbacks between the Duttons are possible. Alternatively, Ford could emerge in another Yellowstone show as a different character, with multiple upcoming spinoff shows in the works that would take place in modern times.

Perhaps the most intriguing possibility is Ford returning as Dutton, not in a flashback but as himself in 1944’s present, as a 100-year-old Jacob, marking the oldest Dutton in history. Regardless, Harrison Ford’s return could give Jacob Dutton a proper sendoff, which is certainly warranted due to his memorable role in 1923.