Yellowstone: Kevin Costner's Exit "Truncates" John Dutton's Ending Says Creator

By Nicole Drum

It's an interesting time for Paramount Network's wildly popular series Yellowstone. In May, it was reported that series star Kevin Costner, who plays Dutton family patriarch John Dutton, won't return to the series after Season 5 which is currently in a bit of limbo with production on the remaining Season 5 episodes not yet underway. It was also reported that Season 5 will see the end of the series and a sequel series has already been announced. But while Costner's exit does somewhat alter the overall timeline for Yellowstone and particularly his character, according to series creator Taylor Sheridan, it doesn't actually change John Dutton's ending; it merely truncates it.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan explained that while he's disappointed with how things have worked out, the closure of the John Dutton character is unchanged — and it's not going to behind-the-scenes tension fueled "f-ck you car crash" sort of ending, either.

"I'm disappointed," Sheridan said. "It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."

He continued, "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."

He also said that his opinion of Costner as an actor hasn't c hanged — and he hopes that Costner's movie, Horizon, that he's reportedly leaving Yellowstone to pursue, is both worthwhile and good.

"My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn't altered," Sheridan said. "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."

What's Going on With Season 5 of Yellowstone?

Currently, Season 5 of Yellowstone is not yet complete. The back half of the season was initially announced to air sometime this summer, but production on new episodes has not yet started. However, series star Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, recently said that fans can expect the remaining episodes to focus on many of the series' core themes of love and family.

"Love and family and serve your tribe, your people — that's a huge theme in the show," Grimes said. "With Kacey, he has a hard time choosing his relationship with his father versus his relationship with his wife and son. I think it's because it all really matters and it matters to all of the characters."

He went on to explain that it's within those themes where all the "juicy drama" is.

"That's sort of where you get all of this really juicy drama, is that everyone is sort of fighting for their team," he said. "There's no right team or wrong team, it's just a bunch of people trying to figure out how to do what's best for their own."

Taylor Sheridan Says Matthew McConaughey is a Natural Fit for Yellowstone Spinoff

With Yellowstone ending, a new spinoff series is coming with Matthew McConaughey set to star and Sheridan said that the actor is a natural fit.

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"He seems like a natural fit," Sheridan 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."

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