"Yellowstone," the show that revitalized Kevin Costner's career and boosted Stetson sales, is set to conclude after the second part of Season 5, according to multiple sources, cited by The New York Post. However, there is no information on when the show will resume filming or airing.
The series has been dogged by rumors that Costner, who portrays influential Montana patriarch John Dutton and received a Golden Globe for his role, will not return due to a disagreement with creator Taylor Sheridan. "It's the same as with any showrunner and big star—there's respect, but there's friction," a knowledgeable production source told The Post.
A high-ranking Hollywood insider who has collaborated with Sheridan confirmed that ego is a factor, but it may not be solely Costner's: "Taylor is the star of his show. He's the most important person on all of his shows."
Over 12 million fans tuned in to the first half of Season 5, which premiered in November 2022 and concluded in January. They are now anxiously awaiting the second installment on Peacock. However, production has not yet been scheduled, and a Hollywood writers' strike is looming.
Despite this, the production source expressed hope that a resolution would be reached: "It's too big a show for things not to be worked out. Hopefully, Kevin will return for the remaining episodes if everyone works together, but it looks like 'Yellowstone' will end after this season."
Another source acquainted with Sheridan added that he may be withholding information from his cast: "Only Taylor truly knows what is going on."
Sheridan, 52, began his career as an actor in FX's "Sons of Anarchy" and CW's "Veronica Mars" before writing numerous films, including 2015's "Sicario" and the Oscar-nominated "Hell or High Water" in 2016. He also co-created Paramount's successful "Mayor of Kingstown" (starring Jeremy Renner) and "Tulsa King" (starring Sylvester Stallone) and helms "Yellowstone" spin-offs "1883" and "1923," featuring Sam Elliott, Harrison Ford, and Dame Helen Mirren.
A Hollywood insider noted that Sheridan's belated success has fueled his ego. "Taylor spent years not being truly appreciated in Hollywood," the source said, "and now that he's the top of the heap, there's definitely some ego to all of this."
The off-screen drama commenced when "Yellowstone" took a hiatus in January following its mid-season finale. In February, Deadline reported that Paramount, which owns the show's rights, was discussing a new spinoff starring Matthew McConaughey. The publication also claimed that Costner, 68, intended to focus on his own Western movie franchise, "Horizon," and therefore refused to spend more than one week filming the second half of Season 5.
Costner's attorney Marty Singer swiftly denied the allegations, calling his client's purported unwillingness to work "an absolute lie." The Hollywood source confirmed that Costner was prepared to shoot last year and again in January, but Sheridan lacked scripts. "Kevin's been extremely cooperative with working with Taylor and his production company, 101 Studios… but they just didn't have the scripts," the source explained.