Don’t shoot the messenger, Yellowstone fans, but I come bearing bad news. The alleged feud between Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and series lead Kevin Costner may have led to the end of his time on the popular western. According to Entertainment Tonight, sources close to the Yellowstone production believe that Costner will not return following the Season Five finale. On top of that, Deadline revealed that Yellowstone is finished after Season Five—and a sequel series has already been greenlit—even if Costner returns.
Of course, there are still more questions here than answers. Before Costner can even depart the series following the Season Five finale, we’re going to need confirmation that a Season Five finale will ever air. Yellowstone‘s fifth season has been on hiatus since the mid-season finale back in January—ending on a pretty significant cliffhanger as well. Fans were prepping for a big finale upon the show’s return, of course. But with the news of Yellowstone 2.0, we can safely bet on the Dutton family continuing on without its lead patriarch.
As of today, there is no return date, production schedule, or script in place for Yellowstone. The reported feud between Sheridan and Costner—supposedly over everything from on-set egos to filming schedules—has left the cast and crew c onfused and frustrated. Costner has yet to offer hope that he will return at all, according to Hollywood insider and The Town
At the same time, the Writer’s Guild of America has been on strike since May 1, as its members fight for better pay, meaning that any updates on production are likely not coming any time soon. Paramount wants to finish Season Five out for a November 2023 release, but there are a lot of street lights that have to turn green before they can hit the gas. In short? Everyone is in the dark. Even worse, it’s possible that the drama may lead to the crew never returning to finish Yellowstone.
Meanwhile, Paramount is moving forward with several spinoff series to keep the franchise alive. Taylor Sheridan currently has plans for a second season of 1923, a spinoff focusing on the 6666 Ranch, and a new sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey. It’ll be the first new project for the Paramount Network that retains Yellowstone in the title—which is a big positive for a series that once sold its streaming rights to Peacock. But with the strike and Costner’s situation up in the air, it’ll be lucky if it hits the targeted December 2023 release. Until we get more information, this may be the last we’ve seen of John Dutton.
