Kevin Costneris pushing back against reports that he is solely to blame for his departure from the hit seriesYellowstone. In an interview withPeople, the Oscar winner detailed the troubled production schedule for Taylor Sheridan’s western series, and expressed disappointment that no one stepped up to dispel the rumors and lies about his departure.
Costner played John Dutton, the patriarch of a family that owned the Yellowstone Ranch, the biggest ranch in Montana. The series followed Dutton’s fight to save his ranch from developers, while facing scandal and heartbreak within his own family. Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, and Wes Bentley co-star as his children.
Yellowstone
Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner and centers on his character John Dutton. Dutton and his family live on a cattle ranch just a few hours away from Yellowstone National Park. The series chronicles the family’s struggle to defend their home from an Indian reservation and land developers. As if their life wasn’t complicated enough, the Duttons also have medical issues, political aspirations, and family secrets stacked against them.
The series is currently in its fifth and final season, which was split into two parts. The first part aired its last episode in January 2023. Production on the second half of the season is currently underway, and is scheduled to air this fall. The delay between filming episodes, as Costner was in the midst of filming his western epicHorizon, ultimately caused a scheduling conflict. He said he waited for scripts to arrive and production schedules to be set, but neither happened:
There was a moment where that show for me stopped for 14 months…That’s the fact. I could have done a lot of things in that time, but I wasn’t aware that that was going to happen.
Costner also expressed disappointment that, as friction grew between himself and creator/showrunner Sheridan over delays, no efforts were made to combat misinformation in the media, which placed all the blame on him:
I was disappointed that nobody on [the studio] side…ever stepped up to defend what it was I actually did for them. There came a moment where I thought, ‘Wow, when is somebody going to say something about what I have done versus what I haven’t done?'
Costner appears to be referencing Paramount and MTV Entertainment Studios, who produce the series with Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch Productions. Costner cited a report that claimed he only wanted to work a single week on the series, when in fact he said the delay in production only left him with a week to shoot before having to leave to finish production onHorizon.
The Future of Yellowstone
With the series nearing an end, it remains to be seen how Costner’s departure will be handled. In the first half of season five, Costner’s John Dutton is elected governor of Montana, in an effort to use the office to save his ranch. By not returning for the final episodes, an abrupt change in the storyline must occur to explain his absence.
The final six episodes currently in production will not only seal the fate of Costner’s Dutton, it will reset the storyline for a sequel series. As soon asYellowstoneends, a spinoff series will begin production. Several key members ofthe Yellowstone cast have already signed onfor the new series: Cole Hauser, who plays fan-favorite ranch foreman Rip; Kelly Reilly, who plays John Dutton’s daughter Beth; and Luke Grimes, who plays Dutton’s son Kayce are all reprising their roles in the sequel/spinoff.
Kevin Costner Finally Seals His Yellowstone Fate in New Video Message
Kevin Costner seemed to be leaving the door open for a return to the Yellowstone franchise. A new video message has confirmed his ultimate decision.
Costner has said repeatedly in recent months that he hoped to return toYellowstone, if only to film some sort of closure for the character. He told People:
I loved the show. I liked the people on the show. I liked what it was about. I love that world.
Costner’s final decision to leave the serieswas revealed in a videothe actor released on social media last week. Neither Paramount Network, Sheridan, nor theYellowstonecast have responded to Costner’s new comments.
TheYellowstonefranchise has previously expanded to two spinoff series:1883, which told the story of the Dutton family’s journey out west, and1923, which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren and follows the early days of the Dutton Yellowstone Ranch.
The second half of the fifth season ofYellowstonepremieres November 10 on Paramount Network.
For more on the controversy surrounding Costner’s departure, check out this video:
