Earlier this year, rumors began swirling that all was not well in the world of Yellowstone. Despite being picked up for a supersized fifth season—to be broken into two halves over the course of 2022 and 2023—the megahit show appeared to have drama brewing behind the scenes, and as fans began to wonder at the lack of news on the filming of the second half of the season, speculation suggested that the show could be coming to a close.
In February, Deadline reported word that the shooting schedule was being held up by star Kevin Costner, who plays the Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton. Costner, the publication claimed, wanted to shorten his filming schedule on the show— Costner’s lawyer later called the claims “an absolute lie.” In May, Costner confirmed he would not be returning to the show after season five, and shortly thereafter Paramount announced that the show itself would be ending with the yet-to-be-filmed second half of the season.
Since then, many have speculated about the circumstances of the series’s abrupt end, with numerous suggestions that Costner and Yellowstone’s famously hands-on creator Taylor Sheridan had butted heads, ultimately leading to the actor’s departure. Until now, neither party had addressed the issue publicly, but in a new interview with THR, Sheridan opened up about the issue and his feelings toward Costner.
“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” Sheridan told the publication. “His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it.”
Sheridan also mentioned Costner’s upcoming Civil War four-film saga Horizon, on which the actor will serve as writer, director, producer, and star, saying, “His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
He added, “I’m disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.” Though Sheridan didn’t elaborate, THR reports that the creator hinted that Costner’s John Dutton was never intended to survive until the end of the series.
Sheridan also addressed a long-standing rumor that he had once told Costner to “stick to acting” when the star pushed back about some elements of Yellowstone’s story during the show’s early seasons.
“I never had that conversation with Kevin,” he said. “There was a time in season two when he was very upset and said the character wasn’t going in the direction he wanted. I said, ‘Kevin, you do remember that I told you this is essentially The Godfather on the largest ranch in Montana? Are you that surprised that the Godfather is killing people?’ What he’s clung to is [Dutton’s] commitments to his family and way of life. Dutton’s big failing is not evolving with the times — not finding different revenue streams [for the ranch]. Kevin felt season two was deviating from that, and I don’t know that he was wrong. In season three, we steered back into it.” He added, “I recall him winning a Golden Globe last year for his performance, so I think it’s working.”