Paramount says Yellowstone Season 5 is supposed to return in November 2023, but the latest information from the cast clashes.
Even if Taylor Sheridan manages to write the first scripts for Yellowstone Season 5 Part B despite the ongoing writer’s strike, then Paramount gets production going in time, and the entire cast and crew are free at a moment’s notice to begin filming… Is the finale of the most popular show on television going to be everything we hoped for?
These are the main obstacles holding production up right now. And they’re more elephant-sized (or blue whale, really) than mouse. Yet Paramount has no update on their previously-announced plan to end the flagship series with final episodes beginning in November of 2023.
The cast has been radio-silent, too. Well, except for Jamie Dutton’s Wes Bentley and franchise architect Sheridan. Both have given high-profile interviews this summer, and they hold the same “wait and see” flavor.
But what about the rest of Yellowstone‘s ensemble? Chiefly, will Kevin Costner return as John Dutton amid extreme turmoil?
Sadly, the latest information points to no.
Kevin Costner is ‘no longer under contract’ for ‘Yellowstone’
In 2023 court documents concerning his high-profile divorce from his wife, Christine Baumgartner, Costner states flat out that he is “no longer under contract for Yellowstone.
Ouch.
“I will earn substantially less in 2023 than I did in 2022. This is because I am no longer under contract for ‘Yellowstone,’” Insider cites of the June 30 documents they obtained.
The show was “the principal source of my income last year,” Costner adds. Which, honestly, makes it all the more baffling that he’s willing to walk away from the western that brought him back to the forefront of American entertainment. Especially considering he’s chosen to personally finance the reason he left the show: his series of “epic western films,” Horizon
Still, it’s no longer surprising that Costner has chosen to walk away from John Dutton, if he truly has 100%. The man is in the middle of his family falling apart. There are much more important things in life than television shows.
But what about the rest of the cast and crew that this decision left blindsided – and continues to leave hanging?
Sarah Atwood’s Dawn Olivieri hints at production ramping up
One such person is actor Dawn Olivieri, a Sheridan/Yellowstone Universe staple at this point. She made her mark on the creator and audiences as Claire in prequel 1883. Then, Sheridan created the role of Sarah Atwood (the complete opposite of Claire) to bring her into Yellowstone proper with Season 5.
Atwood is one of the cast’s most outspoken members. She loves this show as much as the fans, and has been posting the iconic Y brand as every other image to her Instagram for months now. And her latest holds an interesting caption.
“I hear spurs boys and girls,” Atwood posted Wednesday (July 5, below). Is production finally ramping up?
Xem bài viết này trên Instagram
If so, that’s tremendous news for fans. It may mean a disingenuous bit of feverish writing for Sheridan during the writer’s strike if true. But as co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner for Yellowstone, the man getting to work is sort of a gray area.
Regardless, the show is clearly at the forefront of Sheridan’s mind. In his extensive, revealing interview with The Hollywood Reporter last month, he spoke on everything from Costner’s decision to exit the show to how many more episodes we may see.
For more on both topics, see our previous coverage:
- ‘Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan breaks silence on Kevin Costner: ‘I’m disappointed’
Yellowstone Season 5 is currently set to return in November 2023 for its final episodes, before being replaced with an immediate modern-day sequel.