Kevin Costner has been at an impasse with the producers of “Yellowstone” for over a year about whether or not he’ll return for the hit Paramount Network drama’s final season. In a nutshell, Costner wanted his shooting schedule and his character John Dutton’s exit to be on his own terms, and showrunner Taylor Sheridan does not agree. As of now, “Yellowstone” Season 5 is slated to shoot this spring and summer, without Costner.
But Costner says he’s still open to returning to wrap up Dutton’s storyline – with conditions.
On Tuesday, Costner was at CinemaCon in Las Vegas promoting his upcoming Western epic “Horizon,” the film for which he wanted to cut short his time on “Yellowstone” to direct. Entertainment Tonight asked him whether he’ll return to “Yellowstone,” and, well, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen.
“I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to,” the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker said. “…I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five. So how it works out – I hope it does – but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”
As for how he imagines John Dutton’s story ends, he said, “Well, you know, he needs to be proactive in what happens and I’ve kind of had my own fantasy how it might be,” Costner said, “but that’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”
If Costner is waiting for Sheridan to agree to his suggestions, he could be waiting a long time. Last year, he reportedly asked Sheridan for veto power over how Dutton’s arc concludes, and the powerful writer-producer would not agree to that demand. Sheridan wrote the final episodes to not include Costner. There’s still a chance a last-minute deal could be struck, but time is running out. As Costner said, we’ll see.
“Yellowstone” Season 5, Part 2 is scheduled to premiere on Paramount Network in November, to be followed by a sequel series that could star Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Pfeiffer, and “Yellowstone” cast members Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes.