What's "Yellowstone" without Kevin Costner? Fans' biggest fears might turn out to be reality — unless the folks behind the scenes can come to an agreement. Suffice it to say: It's complicated.
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00:00What's Yellowstone without Kevin Costner?
00:03Fans' biggest fears might turn out to be reality, unless the folks behind the scenes
00:07can come to an agreement.
00:08Suffice it to say, it's complicated.
00:11It's hard to imagine the second half of Yellowstone season 5 being any more contentious than it
00:15is.
00:16This was never my plan.
00:18Taylor Sheridan's massively popular Western series ran into trouble after season 5A aired
00:22back in 2022.
00:24The Hollywood strikes of the following year, combined with star Kevin Costner's frustration
00:28with the shooting schedule, meant that Yellowstone season 5B became a huge question mark.
00:33For Costner's part, he claimed he was unable to devote his time due to the Horizon Saga,
00:38a series of Western films that represented a passion project for the veteran star.
00:42Costner, who plays ranch owner John Dutton in Yellowstone, claimed he hadn't received
00:46any scripts for season 5B of the show, and therefore chose to leave the series rather
00:51than wait around to find out when or if he'd be allowed to shoot the movie Horizon, an
00:55American saga chapter 1, which regrettably ended up bombing at the box office.
01:00Looks like we got ourselves a bad man right here.
01:03But Costner's take was just one side of the story.
01:05On the other side, Paramount and Sheridan claimed their star's commitment to the Horizon
01:09movies actually made it difficult to plan the second half of Yellowstone season 5 and
01:13directly contributed to the delays.
01:15This shootout between the two sides made it clear there was no love lost between them,
01:19and it seemed that amid such chaos, Costner's exit was final, especially after Paramount
01:24confirmed that season 5B of Yellowstone would constitute the final episodes of the series.
01:29Since then, longtime stars Kelly Riley and Cole Hauser have reportedly been in talks
01:33to lead a sixth season of Yellowstone.
01:36While nothing has yet been confirmed, it seems the show could have a life beyond 5B and perhaps
01:41beyond Costner.
01:42I supported it five years ago, but I'd like to go forward, but it has to be under a different
01:48set of circumstances.
01:50Meanwhile, fans of the series are waiting to see how Sheridan wraps up season 5B of
01:54his neo-western without the star of the show on board.
01:57The episodes have been shot and are set to start airing on November 10th, 2024, with
02:01many expecting John Dutton to perish before the season ends.
02:04But it seems Sheridan did have the option to keep the ranch owner breathing, as Costner
02:08apparently isn't entirely against returning to the series he helped establish as the mega-hit
02:13it is.
02:14However Yellowstone season 5B wraps up, it will be a finale of sorts for the series,
02:18even if it continues with a sixth season.
02:20This will be a very different show.
02:22Costner's exit reportedly won't change the ending of Yellowstone, though, as Sheridan
02:26is said to have known the show was going to run five seasons, and even knew how it would
02:30end before the pilot aired.
02:31Most fans are expecting the Dutton patriarch to kick the bucket in some way, and with Costner
02:35leaving the show behind, that seems like a safe bet, though Sheridan will have to ensure
02:40he gives the character a dignified send-off considering Costner had a unique moral death
02:44stipulation written into his Yellowstone contract.
02:47I truly believe it's the survival of the unfittest these days.
02:50With part 2 of season 5 set to air soon, whatever is going to happen has already been solidified.
02:55But if John Dutton is killed off in the final episodes, it would mean Sheridan and Paramount
02:59missed an opportunity to bring Costner back into the fold in future.
03:03Despite the heated back and forth between the show's star, the network, and Sheridan,
03:07it seems Costner is actually open to a return, telling Entertainment Tonight that he'd,
03:11quote, like to be able to do it, but we haven't been able to.
03:14The actor added,
03:15I thought I was going to make seven seasons, but right now we're at five.
03:19So how it works out, I hope it does, but they've got a lot of different shows going on.
03:23Maybe it will.
03:24Maybe this will circle back to me.
03:26If it does, and I feel really comfortable with it, I'd love to do it.
03:29So in order for Costner to return as John Dutton, it seems the network and Sheridan
03:33have to come to him, complete with a story with which he feels comfortable.
03:37Considering the ongoing behind-the-scenes tension, that seems pretty unlikely.
03:41Meanwhile, when asked about his character's fate, Costner said,