Why is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?
In just five years, Yellowstone has gone from a standalone Paramount drama to a bonafide television franchise, with three spin-offs and even more in the works. Kevin Costner, who executive produces the show, stars as the patriarch of the Dutton family, who own the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and frequently clash with the local indigenous population. In recent seasons, Yellowstone has become something of a sensation, with the premiere of the first half of season 5 drawing over 12 million viewers. The second half of the season hasn’t started filming yet, possibly because the popular show has been plagued by setbacks, rumors about feuds behind the scenes, and whispers of difficulties with its lead actor, Kevin Costner. And now, some new reports don’t paint a great picture for those hoping for the Dutton patriarch to get back in the saddle. We haven’t seen this much production drama since Don’t Worry Darling, so strap in, because there’s a lot to investigate.
Why is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?
In February, Variety reported that Costner may be departing Yellowstone because of schedule changes, and Deadline reported that Costner wanted to shoot the second half of season five in just a week. Paramount balked at this request, according to Deadline, and threatened to just move on to a new spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey. There are other rumors that the issues go deeper than scheduling conflicts, though. Costner is reportedly in a standoff with execs over money (Costner’s lawyer denies the claim), despite already making between $1.2 – $1.5 million per episode — the highest salary on TV, according to Variety.
And it seems as though this rift isn’t one that can be repaired. In early May, ET reported that Costner will not return to Yellowstone after season 5 — which is more or less to be expected since Paramount announced that his series will end after the fifth season. But that would also mean he wouldn’t appear in one of the subsequent spin-offs. It’s also up in the air if he’ll even return to finish out Yellowstone at all — sources tell Deadline it’s unclear whether he’ll be back to film the final episodes. For fans who’ve been watching from the beginning, it would be a disappointment to have Costner written off the show off-camera.
When is Yellowstone season 5 part 2 coming out?
According to Deadline, the final portion of Yellowstone season 5 is supposed to come out in November 2023. Production for the episodes should start in August, although, with the writers’ strike going on, that could very well change.
What’s the drama with Yellowstone?
In early April, rumors started swirling of bad blood between Costner and Yellowstone series creator Taylor Sheridan after both pulled out of a festival panel at the last minute. Fans were upset, to say the least, and Costner’s future on the show was being called into question — some reports were saying that Costner and Sheridan were butting heads over money.
In an interesting development, last week The Wall Street Journal published an explosive report about the huge budgets of Sheridan’s shows (including Yellowstone and its prequel, 1923). The WSJ reported that, internally, executives have expressed frustrations over the production costs (an episode of 1923 can cost upwards of $22 million), although a Paramount spokeswoman denied any issues to the outlet. “If we could do three more partnerships with people as successful, creative and prolific as Taylor, we’d do it in a heartbeat,” she said. Sheridan, who is also the showrunner of Yellowstone, reportedly insists on filming his shows on his own ranches; he’s looking to charge Paramount up to $50,000 per week in rent to film one of his new series, Lawmen: Bass Reeves. He has the network rent his horses and use his preferred experts, an agreement the Paramount spokesperson defended as efficient, but a level of power WSJ called “unusual.”
Is Matthew McConaughey going to be on Yellowstone?
Paramount confirmed that a Yellowstone sequel will debut in December following the conclusion of its predecessor. While the full cast of that sequel have not yet been announced, last month Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of MTV Entertainment Group, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Matthew McConaughey would head up the sequel. McCarthy also said that he has more than 10 projects in the works with Sheridan — so fans of the Western drama have plenty to look forward to.
