Yellowstone: Josh Lucas Teases Young John Dutton Return for Final Episodes

The final episodes of Yellowstone will premiere on the Paramount Network in November, and it sounds like John Dutton might just be back, just maybe not in the way fans expect. Josh Lucas, who plays young John Dutton in flashback sequences in the Taylor Sheridan-created series, recently told Deadline that "as far as he knows" he's going to be back for the final episodes of Yellowstone's fifth and final season which is set to resume production soon.

"I did text Taylor a couple of months back and said, 'hey man, I've loved working on the show so much.' He's like, 'well, we'll be back.'"

Lucas also indicated that the back half of Season 5 of Yellowstone may contain more episodes than fan expect, noting that the plan is to make "10 or more so episodes" of the series to close things out.

Will Kevin Costner Return for the Final Episodes of Yellowstone?

At this point, it's unclear if Kevin Costner, who plays the contemporary version of John Dutton, will return for the final episodes of Yellowstone. It was previously reported that Costner will not be under contract for the series and even further reports that there are no plans for him to return as the Dutton family patriarch at all. However, a report last month indicated that Costner is interested in returning to finish off his final arc — though there's been no official word how the series will progress in that regard.

A Yellowstone Spinoff is in the Works

While Yellowstone is ending, the story isn't necessarily over. A spinoff, working title 2024, is in the works. The spinoff is rumored to be a sequel of sorts set to center around Matthew McConaughey and feature various members of the main Yellowstone cast. However, Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly recently addressed all the speculation.

"I just care about finishing [the main show] with as much care and as much passion and as much love as I can muster to put into it," Reilly began. "That's what I care about. I'm sort of prepping for that now [and] that's my tunnel vision thing that I care about most."

"And what goes on beyond that? There are discussions, you know," she continued. "Don't believe everything you read. It's just nonsense. But we're gonna, you know, let's wait and see. I don't have an answer right now. But we'll see."

What is Yellowstone About?

Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and vicious business rivalries.

Yellowstone is co-created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Hell or High Water and Sicario) & John Linson. Executive producers include John Linson, Art Linson, Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay and Christina Voros.