Though sad, the news has been a long time coming. For months fans have wondered if Kevin Costner is leaving Yellowstone and, on top of all that, if Yellowstone is ending altogether! Well, we finally have the answer to this very subject and it all boils down to conflicts regarding film schedules, primarily between Costner and Taylor Sheridan, with everything else unravelling from there.
As a loyal fan, you probably have many questions as to what this may mean for the Yellowstone franchise, John Dutton, and the rest of the show’s characters—plus, what the confirmed spinoff (starring Matthew McConaughey) will entail. Well, Costner recently revealed some new details—here’s everything we know!
Is Kevin Costner leaving ‘Yellowstone’?
We’ve known for a while now that Costner would not be returning to his character, John Dutton. It all began when Deadline reported that showrunner Taylor Sheridan and Paramount were “in talks” with A-list actor Matthew McConaughey for a potential new spinoff. What, in hindsight, seemed like exciting news (we can already picture McConaughey in cowboy attire 😍) was actually deemed to be more of a solution to issues regarding Costner’s shooting schedule.
Costner was in the works of directing and starring in Horizon—a multi-part western film—which was apparently the very thing slowing down Sheridan and the rest of the crew.
Taylor Sheridan essentially confirmed the news himself when he discussed the situation for the first time back in June.
“I’m disappointed,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”
And even more recently, Costner finally weighed in on the news himself! During a court testimony tied to an ongoing dispute with his ex-wife, Christine Baumgartner—Costner reported that he has “concluded his work” on Yellowstone.
Is Matthew McConaughey replacing Kevin Costner on ‘Yellowstone’?
The exciting rumors of a new Yellowstone spinoff featuring McConaughey have been confirmed, according to an interview with the head of Paramount Media Network and the The Hollywood Reporter. McConaughey will be starring in a series that continues on the story of the Dutton ranch in Yellowstone, and will be joining the ranks of other popular spinoffs, like 1883 and 1923.
What can we expect for the future of ‘Yellowstone’?
We know for sure that Yellowstone will wrap up season 5 part 2, even without Costner. However, the timeline is now unknown.
We first got word that part 2 would premiere in November of 2023, but with the WGA writer’s strike and SAG-AFTRA actor’s strike still ongoing, there’s no telling when it will premiere.