It’s the end of the road for Kevin Costner after he confirmed Thursday that he was permanently done with his hit series Yellowstone.
In a short clip shared to his social media accounts on Thursday, the 69-year-old actor and filmmaker made it official that he would not be returning to appear on the hit Western crime series when it returns for season 5B.
‘Hello everyone. I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half working on Horizon and doing everything necessary, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to to continue with season 5b or in the future,” Costner announced somberly as he looked into the camera.
Previous reports indicated that Costner was likely done with the series for good after conflicts between him and producers over salary, his schedule and his availability to film his multi-part Western epic, Horizon.
But fans were hoping that he could at least return to find a fitting end for his patriarch John Dutton III, but his new video has seemingly ruined those hopes forever.
It’s the end of the road for Kevin Costner after he confirmed Thursday that he was permanently done with his hit series Yellowstone in a video posted to his social media accounts.
“I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue with season 5b or in the future,” he said somberly, adding that he “loved” Yellowstone; frame from the series
“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of the Paramount Network series.
“I loved it and I know you loved it,” he reiterated. “I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be coming back.”
The actor and director concluded with what may have been a plea for his fans to watch his upcoming Horizon movies.
“I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop and I’ll see you in the movies,” he said as a slight smile crossed his lips.
The announcement means Costner’s last run of episodes was for season 5A, which aired from November 2022 to January 2023.
His character, the patriarch of the Dutton family, ran the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, a fictional ranch that was the largest in Montana.
It bordered Yellowstone National Park and the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, often pitting the wealthy family against their Native American neighbors and the greedy developers who sought to take their land.
The primetime soap opera has been particularly popular with fans who applauded its so-called anti-woke politics, although the series often criticizes its main family, who have murdered several people to secure their lands and fortune.
“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of Yellowstone. ‘I loved it and I know you loved it’
The announcement means Costner’s last run of episodes was for season 5A, which aired from November 2022 to January 2023.
His character, John Dutton III, ran the Yellowstone Dutton ranch, the largest in Montana. It bordered Yellowstone National Park and the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, often pitting the wealthy family against Native American neighbors and greedy developers.
Before closing the door on the possibility of returning for Season 5B, Costner clashed with producers, as he reportedly wanted to film fewer days for the season to accommodate the filming of Horizon.
So far, that film is expected to earn a disappointing $12 million in its opening weekend, even though Costner has contributed $40 million of his own money to the passion project. However, his latest announcement may encourage some of his Yellowstone fans to buy a ticket to the high-profile western.
Costner has disputed reports about the nature of his disagreements over Yellowstone and complained that the show’s producers refused to defend him amid reports he disagreed with.
The actor has also denied that his problems with the series were due to his Horizon filming schedule.
He said he was ready to return to film season 5B, but the scripts for the second half of the season were allegedly not written in time.
Some fans and critics have pointed the finger at showrunner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who has written all of the show’s scripts since the third season.
He is also the showrunner, writer and director of multiple Yellowstone spin-offs, as well as several other shows he has created for Paramount and its Paramount+ streaming service, leading some to suggest that he has tried too hard, making him led to supposedly not achieving it. produce scripts in time for Costner to film the second half of season five.
Sheridan has denied that he is too busy due to his multiple shows and other projects.
Costner also had the added aggravation during the downtime of his divorce from his wife Christine Baumgartner, during which the two fought in court over their prenuptial agreement and the financial support she was requesting.
Costner reportedly wanted more money for season 5B, as well as fewer days on set to focus on his Horizon movies. But he denied those reports and instead said that showrunner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan had not completed the scripts on time.
Yellowstone and Costner fans invaded the comments of his new video to express their regret for his departure
Several fans expressed the sentiment that Yellowstone simply wouldn’t work, or even exist, without Costner’s gravitas.
Several others applauded him for the nature of his announcement, as he avoided criticizing any of the other people involved in his departure.
Yellowstone and Costner fans flooded the comments of his new video to express their grief over his departure.
Several fans expressed the sentiment that Yellowstone simply wouldn’t work, or even exist, without Costner’s gravitas.
‘Well, this really breaks my heart. There’s no Yellowstone without you, sir,” one commenter lamented.
“There is no Yellowstone without Mr. Costner,” another fan agreed.
Several others applauded him for the nature of his announcement, as he avoided criticizing others involved in his departure.
“It was nice of him to update fans on the status of Yellowstone, a true gentleman through and through and attentive to his fans,” wrote one approving Instagram user.