In the vast cinematic universe that Taylor Sheridan has painstakingly etched into the American consciousness, few characters have captured the hearts of viewers like Kayce Dutton. The brooding son of Yellowstone’s John Dutton is the embodiment of inner conflict—torn between duty and destiny, violence and vulnerability. As speculation builds around a potential spinoff centered on Kayce, the creative team behind it would be wise to look not just within the Yellowstone franchise, but to one of Sheridan’s earlier works that laid the foundation for everything that followed: the searing 2016 neo-Western Hell or High Water.

While Yellowstone is undeniably a modern Western epic, brimming with cattle wars, political backstabbing, and familial legacies soaked in blood and dust, Hell or High Water delivers a similarly haunting exploration of moral ambiguity, set against the backdrop of a changing American West. And in doing so, it offers a near-perfect blueprint for what Kayce Dutton’s solo journey could—and should—become.

The Duality of Kayce Dutton: A Man Between Two Worlds

Kayce Dutton (portrayed with a simmering intensity by Luke Grimes) has always stood apart from his family. A former Navy SEAL haunted by war, a reluctant rancher drawn into his father’s crusade to preserve the Dutton legacy, and a husband and father searching for peace—Kayce is Yellowstone’s most human character, because he’s the most conflicted.

Over five seasons, fans have watched him navigate tribal politics through his marriage to Monica, confront the sins of his military past, and wrestle with the increasingly brutal moral compromises of the Dutton empire. He’s a man who often chooses violence out of necessity, not desire—a theme echoed with brutal clarity in Hell or High Water.

In that film, Sheridan crafted two equally tragic protagonists: Toby (Chris Pine), a struggling father desperate to save his family ranch, and Tanner (Ben Foster), his reckless ex-con brother. Together, they rob banks across West Texas to raise the money they need to escape the crushing grip of poverty. Though their actions are criminal, Sheridan doesn’t cast judgment. Instead, he reveals how economic despair, systemic injustice, and loyalty can make monsters of even the noblest men.

This thematic parallel—doing the wrong things for the right reasons—is the heart of Kayce Dutton’s story. Like Toby, Kayce is a protector. But how far will he go, and what will he sacrifice, to secure a future for his own family?

A New Frontier: The American West, Reimagined

Hell or High Water excels not only through its characters but in its stark portrayal of a crumbling rural America. Sheridan’s West is not the romanticized frontier of John Ford or the mythic battleground of Sergio Leone. It’s a place where oil has replaced gold, and foreclosure signs outnumber horses. Where lawmen pursue justice they no longer believe in, and the line between criminal and victim blurs with each passing mile.

This vision is not far removed from Yellowstone’s own themes, but Kayce’s spinoff offers an opportunity to delve even deeper. No longer anchored to the Yellowstone Ranch, the story could follow Kayce as he leaves Montana to forge a path of his own. Perhaps he seeks redemption through law enforcement, a role he briefly assumed in Season 4 as Livestock Commissioner. Or perhaps he’s drawn into darker corners of rural America—facing new enemies, confronting old ghosts, and trying desperately to hold onto the fragile identity he’s carved out for himself.

Much like the desolate towns in Hell or High Water, Kayce’s new setting should be both beautiful and broken. Oil rigs spinning in the distance, abandoned farms littering the horizon, Native reservations grappling with injustice and tradition. The West, as Sheridan knows it, is not dying quietly—it’s screaming into the wind.

Brotherhood, Betrayal, and Blood

At its core, Hell or High Water is a story about brothers. The dynamic between Toby and Tanner—one calculating and quiet, the other chaotic and loyal to a fault—drives the emotional engine of the film. It’s the kind of bond that is both saving grace and ultimate curse.

This theme could be masterfully echoed in Kayce’s relationship with his older brother, Jamie Dutton. Despite Jamie’s betrayal of the family and descent into moral ruin, there remains a flicker of tragic brotherhood between them. If Kayce’s spinoff were to explore this thread—perhaps through a desperate alliance, a final reckoning, or even a redemption arc—it could rival the emotional depth of Hell or High Water’s climactic standoff.

Alternatively, Kayce might forge a new brotherhood with someone outside the Dutton circle. A fellow veteran, a tribal police officer, or even a criminal whose goals align just enough to blur the lines. Sheridan thrives in stories where alliances are born not from trust, but from necessity. And that gray area—where loyalty and survival intersect—is Kayce’s natural habitat.

The Sheridan Signature: Stoicism Meets Fire

What made Hell or High Water so electrifying was not just its message, but its method. Sheridan’s screenplay crackled with unspoken pain and unrelenting tension. Long silences said more than monologues. A glance across a diner table could reveal years of regret. Every character, no matter how minor, carried the weight of history in their eyes.

A Kayce Dutton spinoff would demand this same tonal precision. Luke Grimes has proven himself capable of quiet devastation—his restrained performance conveying oceans of grief beneath a whisper. In the hands of Sheridan, and with the stylistic DNA of Hell or High Water guiding the way, the series could elevate itself from just another Western drama to something near poetic.

It wouldn’t need the explosive family feuds or soap opera twists that Yellowstone sometimes leans into. Instead, it could be a slow burn: meditative, morally complex, and unafraid to sit in silence and let the land—and the man—speak.

A Legacy Worth Expanding

As Taylor Sheridan continues to build his ever-growing universe of modern Westerns—from 1883 to 1923 and beyond—he has consistently returned to the same core themes: family, land, identity, sacrifice. Kayce Dutton embodies all of these, but he also represents something more elusive—a man trying to build a future without becoming the past.

By channeling the grit, grace, and gravitas of Hell or High Water, a Kayce Dutton spinoff could mark the next evolution of Sheridan’s storytelling. One where the action takes a backseat to atmosphere, where the battles are more internal than external, and where the American West is no longer a mythic canvas, but a mirror held up to our most enduring struggles.

Sheridan has already written the elegy for a dying way of life. Now, with Kayce, he has a chance to write its next chapter.