Kevin Costner Not Planned to Return for Final Yellowstone Episodes

Yellowstone is officially nearing the end of an era. On Thursday, reports confirmed that the final episodes of Yellowstone Season 5 will begin filming in the late spring of 2024. The report states that there are currently no plans for Kevin Costner, who has starred in the series as John Dutton, to return in the back half of Season 5. Costner’s potential exit from the show has been the cause for a lot of speculation and headlines, as it was reported that scheduling and contractural conflicts were causing delays with filming more episodes. According to previous reports, Costner only wanted to spend a week shooting the second batch of Season 5 episodes, as opposed to the 50-65 days that he has in the past. 

“I’m disappointed,” series creator Taylor Sheridan previously said. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it… I don’t do f-ck you car crashes. Whether [Dutton’s] fate inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.”

“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” Sheridan continued. “His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”

Is Yellowstone Getting a Sequel?

Amid the news of Costner’s exit, Paramount has already confirmed that a sequel series of Yellowstone, 2024, is in the works. The series will be led by Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, and will aim to provide a close-enough segue from the flagship series. A production schedule for the new series has yet to be confirmed.

“He seems like a natural fit,” Sheridan previously said of McConaughey. “We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by ‘that’ he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.’”

“My idea of a spinoff is the same as my idea of a prequel – read into that what you will,” Sheridan added. “There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different. There are a lot of places you can tell this story.”

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Yellowstone Season 5? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

h/t: Deadline