Kevin Costner’s Demands for Veto Power on Yellowstone Scripts Was the Last Straw for Taylor Sheridan (Report)

Aaron OzrovitzSeptember 15, 2023

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Yellowstone’s off-screen drama continues to rival anything that has ever happened on the Paramount Network hit.

According to Puck, before the Writers Guild of America strike began in May, series co-creator Taylor Sheridan had completed scripts for the back half of the show’s fifth and final season that did not include leading man Kevin Costner, whose alleged demands have been widely reported. Per the industry insier newsletter, Costner’s reps later expressed his desire to return for Season 5B and possibly even Seasons 6 and 7. Sheridan was said to be willing to write Costner’s John Dutton back into 5B, post-strike. But then… argh.

When Sheridan got on the phone with Costner in early July to discuss his potential Yellowstone

comeback, Puck claims that the Golden Globe winner ran through his demands: increased money, a reduced shooting schedule, and the right to review, approve and potentially veto every script. That, obviously, was a big ol’ no-go for Sheridan, who pens every episode. (Costner’s rep has not responded to TVLine’s request for a response to Puck’s reporting.)

However the Dutton family’s patriarch winds up being killed off — he’ll likely fall victim to the murder plot that adopted son Jamie hatched in the midseason finale — it will still have to meet Costner’s approval, Puck notes: His Yellowstone contract includes a “moral death” provision that lists the ways that his character can and cannot meet his maker.

This weekend, CBS begins airing Yellowstone from Season 1, Episode 1, Sundays at 9/8c. (Some changes may be in order, though; for instance, these.) Lawmen: Bass Reeves, an offshoot of Yellowstone prequel 1883, debuts on Paramount+ on Sunday, Nov. 5. (Watch the trailer here.) And when the writers’ and actors’ strikes eventually end, Sheridan will get to work on a Yellowstone spinoff with Matthew McConaughey as its lead.