An explosive claim has been made that “Yellowstone” writer Taylor Sheridan is primarily to blame for a conflict between himself and the film’s actor, Kevin Costner.
The news that “Yellowstone” will be cancelled after five seasons was first published by The Post on Monday. Rumors of friction between Sheridan (52) and Costner (68) have surfaced recently.
On Friday, a source informed the Daily Mail that while filming his successful show on the Paramount Network, Sheridan began to develop a “God complex.”
The source claims that when Costner, who is also an executive producer on the program, voiced his displeasure with the story’s trajectory, he was ordered to “stick to acting.”
The cast of “Yellowstone” is “like family to him,” a source said, but “Kevin will forever be proud of and grateful for ‘Yellowstone.’”
According to the article, “He just felt like ‘Yellowstone’ is headed in a direction that is not in line with their initial vision, and he was met with criticism, including that he should just stick to acting.”
The start of production on the second half of the final season has not been announced as of yet.
John Dutton (Costner, who won a Golden Globe for the part) and his adult children, Beth (Kelly Reilly), Kayce (Luke Grimes), Jamie (Wes Bentley), and the late Lee (David Annable), are the focus of this rancher family drama, which has been a huge critical and commercial success.
The breakout success of Sheridan’s play has produced multiple sequels and prequels, including “1883,” starring Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill; “1923,” starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren; “6666,” set to premiere in the near future; and another spinoff, starring Matthew McConaughey, whose title has not yet been disclosed.
Sheridan co-created the Jeremy Renner and Sylvester Stallone blockbusters “Mayor of Kingstown” and “Tulsa King” respectively for Paramount.
A source informed The Post earlier this week that even though Costner has made himself accessible, preparation and production have been hampered by Sheridan’s “overburdened” schedule.
A source informed The Post that only Taylor knows the full story. It’s true that there’s ego involved since “Taylor spent years not being truly appreciated in Hollywood, and now that he’s the top of the heap, there’s definitely some ego to all of this.”
However, there have been contrasting accounts that pin the responsibility on Costner. According to a February story from Deadline, Costner’s attorney said the actor would not commit to filming the second half of Season 5 for more than a week.