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It is now double-secret official: Kevin Costner says he won’t be returning to Yellowstone, ever.
Costner made the proclamation in an Instagram video posted late Thursday — hours after the lonnnng-delayed back half of Yellowstone Season 5 finally got a precise premiere date — bringing to a close an exhausting and often-circular 17 months’ worth of rumors, he said/they said, and speculation.
“I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year-and-a-half of working on Horizon, and doing all the things that that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love…. I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue, Season 5B or into the future,” Costner shares in the video below, alluding to his big-screen Western franchise, Horizon: An American Saga, which will his theaters with “Chapter 1” next Friday, June 28.
“[Yellowstone] was something that really changed me,” he goes on to say. “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.”
An update for you guys. I’ll see you at the movies. pic.twitter.com/DpuC5cOP6F
— Kevin Costner & MW (@modernwest) June 21, 2024
Reports of Costner’s Yellowstone status being in flux amid alleged “disagreements over shooting schedules” first surfaced in February 2023. Since then, there have been myriad reports and sound bites, from both sides.
At one point, Costner reportedly proposed a one-week-only work schedule, which Paramount Network declined; Costner has since explained that when he found himself with a free week, he offered it to Yellowstone, “and somebody picked up the idea that I only wanted to work one week. And that has been a carryover thing that I have seen in magazines: that I’ve only wanted to work one week.”
Before the writers’ strike began in May 2023, series co-creator Taylor Sheridan had finished scripts for the back half of Season 5 that did not include Costner, seeing as the decision to split Season 5 into two halves interfered with production on Horizon.
“Their big plan was to suddenly do eight [episodes] now and then in the fall do eight more,” Costner told GQ recently. “I said, ‘I have a contract to do Horizon, and I have people and money.’ I think there was a belief that I couldn’t get it mounted.” But the writer-director-star managed to pull it off.
Even amid reports of his behind-the-scenes tension with Sheridan, Costner said as recently as April that he’d “love” to do more Yellowstone, if “I feel really comfortable with it.”
Alas, that return is not to be.
Are you disappointed that Costner won’t be back on Yellowstone? Are you at all surprised? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.
There’s a lot of layers to this, and to truly understand it we have to take our emotions as fans out of it.
– Actors do not owe us anything. They are employees, just like any other employee. If someone leaves one marketing firm for another they should not be called an egomaniac or anything. For some reason we view celebrities differently.
– That being said, he clearly did use Yellowstone to prop up what was a career on a downward spiral. Prior to Yellowstone he was not getting lead movie roles very often and was doing seldom-watched miniseries. Once he got a little momentum back he immediately used it to get his passion project Horizon greenlighted.
So it was Costner, who piled up his plate with projects and then failed to deliver? If T. Sheridan can’t supply the text on time for the shoot he should go back to his old career as a B-list actor.
In a battle of egos the folk who lose out are the fans.
Costner has always had a massive ego (and I say that as a huge fan of his) and Sheridan is pretty much taking the p1ss with how many shows he’s trying to juggle at this point.
Add in strikes and other commitments and no wonder it’s ended like this.
I’m sure it’ll get downvotes but if the final run is all about the Beth Dutton horror show then I’ll stick to the recaps. Hands down one of the most vile characters on TV.
Definitely sad that Kevin Costner won’t be in Season 5B. It won’t be the same.
Good riddance, *sshole
You misunderstood, Sheridan isn’t leaving, he just can’t be bothered to work on his own show.
Of course I’m upset. He is the backbone of this story. I can’t believe that Mr. Sheridan couldn’t work around Mr. Costner’s scheduled.
Absolutely disappointed. What’s the point of Yellowstone without the patriarch of Yellowstone, Kevin Costner.
Seriously considering not finishing the final season. It’s taken way too long to bring this to a final conclusion…seemingly not worth it…
Costner made Yellowstone. I would have never watched had he not been headlining. I didn’t recognize any of the other names. My opinion, they got concerned with too many spinoffs and forgot about who brought them to the dance after the first three seasons.
I do know, after all this, I will not watch anymore Sheridan shows.
I’m disappointed Costner won’t finish out the series however, I believe that his over-length movie had better be damn good or he may have to pay the price.
I’m looking for more Taylor Sheridan products to fill the gaps.
Kevin was the reason to watch Yellowstone, he will be missed!
Costner is Yellowstone.
He brought the grit to the series. The rest fell into place because of his character.
Hi Kevin, I just want to say I very much enjoyed your work on Yellow Stone! I’m sure you have your reasons why this project would no longer work. Your work is amazing and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future. Good job and thank you for sharing all your hard work!!
Christine O’Brien
West Linn Oregon
Loved Yellowstone…Kevin is the reason. Loved Beth….Taylor screwed over Yellowstone. His ego destroyed a fantastic series. Shame shame on Taylor. PS… he never finished anything@
Hate to see Costner leave Yellowstone and I hope they don’t regret not working with him to make it work.
Once you start a series that characters play well off of each other and you change in middle often it doesn’t work.