Reports say that Kevin Costner is leaving Yellowstone, which could unceremoniously end the series before its time.
After tipping his hat as the Dutton family patriarch John Dutton for five seasons, rumor has it that Kevin Costner won’t be returning for more Yellowstone. While whispers surrounding the star’s departure from the series have picked up over the last year, the New York Post claims that a source close to them believes that the hit Tyler Sheridan series may not even return for the second half of its current fifth season. With the hit Paramount+ title leaving audiences on a cliffhanger at the beginning of this year, filming was set to commence shortly into 2023, with the second half expected sometime over the summer.
Should The Post’s source be correct, this damaging news could spell out the unceremonious end of the Dutton family and not fully form the story that the cast and crew set out to tell back in 2018. As for Kevin Costner’s run as the gun-toting John Dutton, he has long been expected to take a back seat for the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season. While some say it’s due to an ongoing power clash with universe creator Tyler Sheridan, it may be that Costner has just grown out of the boots of the newly appointed Governor with other projects on the Horizon.
At this point, Kevin Costner’s biggest reason to part ways with the rest of the gang behind Yellowstone is to strike out on his own Western-centered project titled Horizon. In what the Dragonfly actor hopes to turn into a sprawling entertainment universe, the Golden Globe-winning star has had several scheduling difficulties between Yellowstone Season 5 and Horizon. Along with starring, Costner is also directing and producing the project giving it precedence over the future of the Dutton family.
Already picking up the cameras to get to work, Kevin Costner has gathered an all-star cast for his Wild West title with the possibility of some familiar Yellowstone
With or without Kevin Costner, there are still a lot of stories left to tell at the tail end of Yellowstone Season 5. With John Dutton now the Governor of Montana, the family is seeing more enemies than ever coming out of the woodwork as they make their grab for power. Plenty is also coming into play with Wes Bentley’s Jamie Dutton as he clashes with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), as well as more of the backstory in the relationship between Beth and Rip (Cole Hauser).
With so many storylines left open, the fandom will certainly demand that their burning questions be answered. As for what lies beyond for Taylor Sheridan when it comes to his working relationship with Kevin Costner and the universe he’s created with Yellowstone, the mothership docking for a final time wouldn’t be the end of the world for the series creator.
Already moving into franchise opportunities, fans have gobbled up both prequel stories 1883 and 1923 with the latter receiving a second-season renewal. There’s also the upcoming 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, Yellowstone present-day spinoff 6666, and the recently revealed Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff. With all this in mind, even without a Kevin Costner-led project, we can expect the world of Yellowstone to keep turning.
