Quick update if you’re deeply invested in all this behind-the-scenes Yellowstone drama. A new report from Puck News (via Entertainment Tonight) sheds some light on what’s been going on off camera—and indicates that there might be more tension to come thanks to Kevin Costner’s character John Dutton exiting the show.
As everyone and their Yellowstone-obsessed grandmother knows at this point, Kevin will not be returning to the series for the back half of season 5. And the sudden exit of John Dutton has the potential to cause a bunch of drama.
Basically, Kevin’s contract reportedly dictates the ways John Dutton can (and perhaps more notably can’t) be killed off—and there’s reportedly speculation that the way he leaves Yellowstone could be in violation of the Kevin’s “moral death” provision (note: Kevin hasn’t read scripts yet, so this is very tbd).
Meanwhile, Puck News reports that Kevin’s reps were “basically begging” Yellowstone creator/showrunner Taylor Sheridan to let him return for the back half of the show’s fifth season. The problem? Most of the season’s second half had been written without Kevin being factored in.
But apparently his rep managed to arrange a call between Kevin and Taylor, who agreed to re-write scripts to include him. The thing is, Taylor and Paramount reportedly weren’t here for Kevin’s other requests: the ability to review/veto scripts, decreased hours on set, and even more money.
Just FYI, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the back half of Yellowstone season 5 won’t drop until 2024 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, so it’s going to be a while before we actually see how this plays out.
As the outlet explained, “Yellowstone had not begun production before the strike was called, and the scripts from creator Sheridan, who writes the entire series, were not yet complete.”