Kevin Costner is ready to set the record straight about the behind-the-scenes drama of Yellowstone.
The 69-year-old actor, who plays John Dutton III on Taylor Sheridan’s series, claims he fulfilled his contract despite ongoing rumors and is speaking out about the show’s ending being delayed as season 5 ended prematurely.
A dispute between Costner and Sheridan supposedly caused the delay. Paramount claimed that Costner refused to film more episodes and instead promoted his new film franchise, Horizon, while Costner claims that Paramount sought contractual amendments due to the delay in writing Sheridan’s script.
“There was no script,” Costner said Deadline on Tuesday. And then things imploded. You have been reading a version [of the show’s drama] for a year and a half.
He added: “I’ve taken a beating from those damn guys and I know a lot of times where it’s coming from.” I just chose not to get into it. But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to imply anything else would be a mistake.
Kevin Costner is ready to set the record straight about Yellowstone’s behind-the-scenes drama; Seen in April
The 69-year-old actor, who plays John Dutton III on Taylor Sheridan’s series, says he fulfilled his contract despite ongoing rumors and discusses delaying the show’s finale, as season 5 ended prematurely.
Costner, who revealed that he has not filmed the remaining episodes of season five, also defended Sheridan, stating, “I didn’t initiate any of that stuff.” They did it. They were tap dancing and this poor boy also had to write a lot. And I don’t know why they didn’t defend me.
After the first half of Yellowstone’s fifth season aired late last year, the show went on hiatus over the holidays. Its return to filming, originally scheduled for early this year, has been postponed to sometime this summer, with no release date announced.
Since Yellowstone went on hiatus, Costner has shouldered most of the blame.
‘I didn’t have to respond to the slings and arrows for the last year and a half, because I was just busy working. They’ve been pretty adept at keeping their hands off; no one ever appeared in the file.
However, rumors claimed that he only wanted to work for a week to film the rest of the episodes. Costner maintains that Paramount misled him.
“I haven’t felt good for the last year, the way they’ve talked about it,” he told Deadline. “It was not true.”
‘So now I’m talking a little bit about what the real truth was. I made a contract for seasons five, six and seven. In February, after a two or three month negotiation, they signed another contract. They wanted to remake that one, and instead of seasons six and seven, it was 5A and 5B, and maybe we’ll do six. They couldn’t make them.’
He went to say he was willing to film Horizon on the Yellowstone schedule, but the schedule kept changing.
“There was no script,” Costner told Deadline on Tuesday. And then things imploded. You have been reading a version [of the show’s drama] for a year and a half’
He added: “I’ve taken a beating from those damn guys and I know a lot of times where it’s coming from.” I just chose not to get into it. But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to imply anything else would be a mistake.
‘Horizon was in the middle, but Yellowstone was in first position. Whether [Horizon] in the gaps. They just kept expanding their spaces.’
Costner, amid considerable scrutiny over the show’s future, acknowledged feeling “upset” by the production’s apparent lack of support.
And he added: ‘They stayed silent and that bothered me in the world of how things are done. Why don’t you defend me? I went and sold this for you. I was only going to do one season. I made it for three. I turned three.
‘So I went from one to three, then I made a fourth for them and they wanted to make three more. So I made the contract to do that. They imploded. I had a contract to do five, six and seven. I was hired to do that. There was nothing I could have done to get out of it, nor was I trying to figure out how, when we started.
‘I left my movie [Horizon] to arrive in time for 5B,” Costner continued. “I left exactly when they wanted and that made it difficult for me.”
However, he alleged that the crux of the matter lay in the lack of scripts for the final stretch of the Yellowstone episodes.
‘Turns out they didn’t have the scripts for 5B. They needed four more days to complete the first eight episodes. I went out early to give them what they needed to get a full eight, and I felt bad that the audience didn’t get 10s. They didn’t have the scripts for anything else.’
“So what you read at the end was that I said, ‘Well, look, I’m making my movie. If you want me to work for a week because you want to kill me or whatever, I can give you a week.” I didn’t really have that week to give them, but I said, I’ll do it. and then they [spun that] “I just wanted to work for a week.”
“I haven’t felt good for the last year, the way they’ve talked about it,” he told Deadline. ‘It was not true; Yellowstone frame
When asked if things could be resolved if he sat down “man to man” with Sheridan, Costner argued, “Don’t talk to me man to man”; Costner and Taylor Sheridan in 2018
Costner also hinted that Sheridan was stretched thin at Paramount, suggesting it as the reason he ran out of scripts for the second half of Yellowstone season 5.
In addition to his involvement in the popular Western, Sheridan oversees a multitude of projects, including Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Special Ops: Lioness, and Lawman: Bass Reeves, along with Yellowstone spinoffs like 1883 and 1923.
Paramount also reportedly intends to release a new Yellowstone sequel/spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey.
“There were a lot of products they were launching,” Costner said. ‘[Yellowstone] I didn’t have the scripts. And they wrote these other three shows. They never talk about it.
When asked if things could be resolved if he sat down “man-to-man” with Sheridan, Costner responded, “Don’t talk to me man-to-man.”
Despite the drama, Costner hasn’t closed the door on returning to Yellowstone; Yellowstone frame
Paramount also reportedly intends to release a new Yellowstone sequel/spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey; seen in september in new york
“I was honest with him and he said what we would do and I believed him and we didn’t get there,” he said.
Despite the drama, Costner hasn’t closed the door on returning to Yellowstone.
“I’m very open to coming back. If they have so many other things going on, maybe this will come back and it will be two really great seasons,” he said.
Or finish it, if the writing is there and I’m happy with it. I’m open to that. But I got beat up because these guys wouldn’t speak up for me and let crazy stories come out.”
