Kevin Costner is Not Returning To YELLOWSTONE After Season 5
As expected, Kevin Costner will not return to the Yellowstone series after Season 5. The news comes after reports of all kinds of behind-the-scenes drama between Costner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan.
It was reported that Costner and Paramount+ were having disagreements over shooting schedules and that Costner was being difficult to work with. The report also said that Costner only wanted to spend a week shooting the remaining episodes of Season 5. Then the Matthew McConaughey spinoff series was announced.
Paramount+ denied those claims, saying: “We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
Costner also denied all of that, and his attorney shared: "The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie. It's ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn't be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin and is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success."
Regardless of what was really going on, there was definitely drama and Costner is now done with the franchise, which is a shame. There’s no update on when the cast and crew are going to return to Montana, where the series is filmed, to finish shooting Season 5's remaining episodes. But, as you might imagine, there’s been a lot of confusion and frustration.
Regardless of Costner leaving the show, series actor Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler on the series confirmed the show will get a Season 6 and a Season 7. So that’s good news, unless Paramount changes their minds now that Costner is out. Whatever happens, though, I just hope that the series gets a proper ending!
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton. The Duttons control the largest contiguous ranch in the U.S. and must contend with constant attacks by land developers, clashes with an Indian reservation and conflict with America's first national park.
It was also revealed that Matthew McConaughey’s series would continue the Dutton family saga and that several of the actors from the Yellowstone series will jump over to the new show. There’s no word on what the story will entail or how it will continue the Dutton saga, so we’ll just have to wait and see as the series continues.
Source: ET