Season 5 of Yellowstone will be the end of the hit Paramount show, the New York Post reports, but tensions behind the scenes are reportedly delaying the second half of the season’s release.
The series has been making headlines as rumors swirled that its star, Kevin Costner, refused to commit to the Season 5 production schedule, causing massive delays. But sources claim series creator Taylor Sheridan‘s ego is to blame.
“It’s the same as with any showrunner and big star — there’s respect, but there’s friction,” a source from production claims.
The first half of Season 5 premiered on Paramount in November 2022. But the latter half has been stuck in limbo since filming and production haven’t even finished yet.
Sources claim that Sheridan, who also runs the Yellowstone spinoffs 1883 and 1923, is “overburdened” with his workload. While previous reports claimed that Costner only appeared for a week to film the entire second half of Season 5, a source told the Post that there were no scripts prepared.
“Taylor is overburdened and Kevin made himself available at the beginning of the year, but again, nothing was ready,” a source alleged. “Kevin had already committed to making his other movies. He had given the producers his schedule.”
They continued, “In the entertainment industry, you can’t keep yourself in a holding pattern and available while the producers are not getting their act together with the scripts. There was nothing to shoot.”
Another source who has worked with Sheridan confirmed that his ego is playing a role in this. “Taylor is the star of his show. He’s the most important person on all of his shows,” they said.
It is still unclear if Costner will be returning to the show that revived his career. He is currently writing and directing a four-film Western series titled Horizon, an American Saga. Paramount executives have said they were “confident” that Costner will come back to the series but the Golden Globe-winning actor has not publicly addressed the matter.
Sheridan may be spread thin with his slate of Yellowstone dramas but there’s already more coming down the pipeline. Paramount President Chris McCarthy recently confirmed another spinoff starring Matthew McConaughey is in the works, among more than 10 other projects Sheridan has in development.
It’s difficult to believe that Yellowstone will be nearing its end so soon. Though it regularly brings in record-breaking numbers, Paramount is also hoping to give its other shows a moment to shine.
“Paramount doesn’t want ‘Yellowstone’ on the air for more than another year [and competing with their shows]. They’d prefer to have a new [Sheridan] show with Paramount+,” a source said.
If the series does end prematurely, the Yellowstone saga will certainly continue through Sheridan’s other projects.
For now, sources appear hopeful that the upcoming writers strike will give them time to figure out a production schedule for the rest of Season 5.
‘Yellowstone’ Breaking News: Producer Shines a Light on the Show’s Future
People tied to “Yellowstone” sound confident the show isn’t ending just yet.
There’s been a lot of speculation about the future of the show amid serious drama with star Kevin Costner. Is he staying or going? Are the days of John Dutton on the hit western numbered?
The honest answer is nobody seems to know for sure, and there’s been a lot of conflicting information out there. Some people have preached optimism. Others have been a little bit more tightlipped.
Now, fans at least have confirmation creator Taylor Sheridan is writing the rest of season five.
“Yellowstone” producer remains optimistic.
“Taylor [Sheridan] is in Texas spinning hay into gold and we’re hoping, we’re hoping we’ll do it soon. Everybody’s excited,” director/executive producer Stephen Kay said Sunday during Deadline’s Contenders Television panel.
Wes Bentley also attended the event and weighed in on the future of the show. He made it clear he doesn’t know what’s coming, but expects it to be intense and wild.
“What’s been great about Taylor’s writing is he literally surprises me every time I pick up a script… but it’s usually tough. So whatever it’s going to be it’s going to be hard to do,” the man famous for playing Jamie Dutton further added, according to the same Deadline report.
What will happen with the show?
All eyes in the entertainment world are on the future of “Yellowstone.” It’s already been announced a Matthew McConaughey “Yellowstone” universe project is advancing no matter what happens with Kevin Costner.
Will it be tied into the main series or become an independent spin-off? That’s still not clear, but McConaughey is slated to join the “Yellowstone” universe. That’s definitely awesome for fans. If the performance he gives is anything like “True Detective” season one, then fans are in for a crazy time.
As for the main series, it definitely seems like momentum is building for the rest of season five to continue. The biggest question now is what kind of role will Costner have moving forward.
Will John Dutton be immediately k*lled off, k*lled off at the end of season five or will Kevin Costner continue as the head of the Dutton family for years to come?
Your guess is as good as mine. Previous reporting indicated Sheridan was ready to get rid of John Dutton and was “furious” with the situation and chaos.
Make sure to keep checking back to OutKick for all the “Yellowstone” updates as we have them. While it sounds like there’s some stability being injected, the situation remains very fluid.