Kevin Costner is back on the ranch for the second part of “Yellowstone” Season 5.
What is believed to be Costner’s character John Dutton’s exit is set to debut this fall. However, alleged lawsuits and conflicting reports, Costner may very well be back once more for the Taylor Sheridan-created series.
“Yellowstone” follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John (Costner), who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect — the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders — an expanding town, a Native American reservation, and America’s first national park.
Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes also star.
The show is co-created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. In addition to Sheridan, Linson, and Costner, executive producers include Art Linson, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros, and Keith Cox. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
“Yellowstone” is returning after almost two years since Season 5 was supposed to be back. Season 5 was rumored to be Costner’s final appearance on the series; however, the actor and “Horizon” writer/director told Entertainment Tonight that he originally hoped to star in seven seasons of the Paramount show.
He later posted a video saying, “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future. It was something that really changed me. I loved it, and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
Costner told IndieWire that his own “Horizon: An American Saga” four-part film franchise, which debuted in 2024, might have inspired “Yellowstone” creator Sheridan’s concepts for the prequel series.
“I don’t know if there’s any duplications there,” Costner said. “Whether he borrowed something, only he’d have to admit to.”
He added of exiting the series, “What’s been said, it’s just so off base. I was only going to do one episode or once a season. And then I helped them and I did five seasons and made a contract literally to do the last three — 5, 6, and 7. They just quit hitting the mark on their scripts. And then we basically had one year that was completely wiped off the map [and] they didn’t tell anybody. Fourteen months later, I could never have that happen to me again. So I kept ‘Yellowstone’ in the first position, but they had to stick with their contract. And when they were done, then I would do ‘Horizon,’ not vice versa. It’s as simple as that.”
But Costner knows the series will continue without him, despite him being willing to return.
“I know they’ll probably do that without me,” he said. “I’m open to coming back. But I basically have to see what the scripts are about. But now ‘Horizon’ has my first position.”
To mark the return of “Yellowstone,” Paramount is airing the entire series starting Labor Day Weekend on Friday, August 30 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m/ ET.
“Yellowstone” Season 5, Part 2 premieres November 10 on Paramount. Check out the teaser below.
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