Kevin Costner’s Surprising Response To ‘Yellowstone’ Return
While promoting his latest movie Horizon, Kevin Costner was asked whether he was returning to Yellowstone for the finale episodes. What did he have to say about this?
What Does Kevin Costner Say About Returning To Yellowstone?
Yellowstone star Kevin Costner was recently at CinemaCon promoting his epic movie Horizon. He spoke to Entertainment Tonight about his film. However, the subject quickly turned to a possible Yellowstone return. Costner’s response was surprising.
Firstly, he revealed he would “love” to return and finish off John Dutton’s story. But, it is complicated.
I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to…I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five. So how it works out–I hope it does–but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.
So, he wants to return to the series, but it doesn’t sound like Paramount is talking. What happened before this recent update?
Why Did Kevin Costner Leave Yellowstone In The First Place?
Late last summer, when the Yellowstone star was in the throes of his messy Hollywood divorce from his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, fans learned what happened.
Kevin was in court for a child support hearing. There, under oath, Costner had to explain why he was no longer working on the Paramount series.
In his testimony, he revealed he had a “long, hard-fought negotiation” about his filming schedule. This was because Season 5 was split into two parts, which he pointed out was like working two seasons at the same time.
To his point three of the first four seasons were 10 episodes long each. Season 5, Part 1 was eight episodes long. Now, Sheridan wanted a second part which is about the same amount of episodes.
However, he was limited in his his time to film the second part because of his dream project Horizon. He needed time to work on the first two of four movies in this epic project. In addition, there were no scripts. Creator Taylor Sheridan has a history of script delays that caused delays on the hit series.
Kevin also revealed that back in July, they were negotiating into Season 6 and Season 7. But, there was a pay disparity. Kevin let his representatives know what he would agree to. Although he did not share amounts, he get $12 million for the first part of Season 5. It would seem that his asking price was comparable. But, “they walked away.” The negotiations stopped cold without a counteroffer.
When he was asked about his lack of participation in the second half of Season 5, the Field Of Dreams star hinted that he would “Probably go to court over it.”
Therefore, it is not really clear if he left Yellowstone, or if Paramount dismissed him. Either case, fans have been dealing with the reality that their favorite character John Dutton may not be in the final episodes of this hit series.
When Does Taylor Sheridan Series Go Into Production?
When will Yellowstone Season 5, Part 2 go into production? They have not set a production date. While cast members have hinted it will be May or June, it sounds like it will be in the later spring or early summer, when the weather is good.
Moreover, this series must be ready by November. Paramount announced they will premiere this series then. That is when they plan on premiering this new series.
That means there is plenty of time for Sheridan to fix the scripts or make some changes. It is likely that this is not set in stone as Paramount has announced a spinoff, 2024, that will air simultaneously with the final Yellowstone episodes.
Moreover, the OG will introduce the characters of 2024. For over a year, Matthew McConaughey has been one name attached to this series. But, he has not signed a contract yet. There are reports that he is waiting to see scripts for this series before signing a contract.
This lack of certainty allows Sheridan an opportunity to bring back Kevin Costner and properly end his epic series with John Dutton on screen, not his demise off-screen.
Viewers, do you want Kevin Costner to return to play John Dutton?
