Picture this: You’re watching the show Yellowstone — specifically part two of season five — and are wondering if, when, and how much Kevin Costner will grumble and growl across your screen.
Yellowstone is famously written by one lone man named Taylor Sheridan who will not accept help.
According to Costner, when he was available to film, Sheridan didn’t have the final Yellowstone scripts ready, so they missed their precious Costner window.
Details continued to spill out that clearly sought to paint Costner as a divo whose unreasonableness was stifling production.
I worked a Saturday and Sunday for them, and they still needed four more days.” How will Yellowstone season five (part two) handle the end of John Dutton?
Imagine this: As you watch Yellowstone, specifically season two, you’re wondering whether, when, and to what extent Kevin Costner will sulk and growl on your screen. Since our boy Kevy Costmeister was filming Horizon Part 1 when this volume of Yellowstone episodes was being made, you must switch to Max and turn it on if you want a surefire look at him. Though he dons a completely different hat than the one you typically see on John Dutton, the film is still good.
In case you haven’t caught up with all the Yellowstone v. Here is a summary of the entire Costner drama, or at least what we currently know about the patriarch of the Dutton family.
In what way did we arrive here?
Taylor Sheridan, the lone author of the well-known book Yellowstone, refuses to accept assistance. Of course, Sheridan’s current position as the sole author of several series presents a challenge, and regardless of one’s skill at horseback riding, it takes time to write five billion television episodes annually. Costner claims they lost their valuable Costner window because Sheridan didn’t have the final Yellowstone scripts ready when he was available to shoot.
In order to make filming possible, couldn’t Costner have rescheduled?
“He did,” Costner is saying. He told the court that he had already rearranged his schedule to film the first half of season five during a child-support hearing in September 2023, which People reported on. He said, “That’s a big deal in this world.”. The first half of season five of Yellowstone premiered in November 2022, and Costner’s Horizon, a $35 million self-funded passion project, has already been delayed! Both projects involved a large number of people who also had schedules to adhere to and lives to lead. To be honest, Team Costner and Team Sheridan’s relationship had already soured by the time this was all revealed, so any more compromises were unlikely.
Whoa, beef?
This is what’s for supper, honey. According to sources who spoke to Deadline in February 2023, when it was first reported that Yellowstone as we know it would conclude after season five, Costner was only willing to dedicate one week to filming the final episodes. This angered Costner’s team, as his litigator Marty Singer told Puck: “It is a complete fabrication that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of season five of Yellowstone.”. It was mentioned in that same issue of Puck that Glenn Kleczkowski, Costner’s longtime associate and assistant, had harshly criticized another Sheridan show, Tulsa King, on Instagram a few months earlier before deleting the post: “Stick to westerns, bro.”. You are ignorant of this life. Boy from the country, stay in your lane. Actually, as a writer and creator, I feel ashamed for you. “Hooray!”.
Information kept leaking out that was obviously intended to portray Costner as a divo whose irrationality was impeding output. His contract included a “moral death” clause that prevented them from killing off John Dutton in a way that Costner found personally embarrassing, and he wanted “veto” power over Yellowstone scripts. Additionally, he contracted COVID-19 during production, which further limited his availability.
Nevertheless, there was still some hope because in a June 2023 Hollywood Reporter profile, Sheridan discussed the drama. He added, “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.” “My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t changed,” he said. Even his handling of the negative publicity was praised by him: “He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it.”. “.”.
Has Costner ever made a public statement?
Indeed, the press tour for Horizon was unforgettable, as each appearance by the Academy Award-winning actor gave us a new piece of advice. In April 2024, the actor told Entertainment Tonight that he would apparently be open to returning to the show, so it got off to a good start. He remarked, “I thought I was going to make seven seasons, but we’re at five right now.”. I hope it works out, but they have a lot of different shows that are currently airing. Perhaps it does. Perhaps this will come full circle to me. If it does and I’m completely at ease doing it, I’d be thrilled to do it. “”.
In an obscene interview with Deadline later in May, he provided some additional details, including the shady gem, “Writing is really hard, I get it.”. “That’s not true,” he said bluntly when asked if Horizon was the reason he couldn’t finish more of Yellowstone. We didn’t finish 10 episodes during certain time blocks. In essence, we would begin in April or May and typically continue through August. We’d do ten. In that time, we didn’t even finish ten. 43 days was all I worked. Thus, that is nonsense. It’s a lie. It’s not accurate. “”.
“There were no scripts,” he added, addressing the rumor that he was only willing to work for a week. “Look, the best I can do is give you a week if you want to end this elegantly,” I said. Additionally, I’m usually working six or seven days a week, if you can come up with a plot. He only wants to work a week for the entire season, they twisted that from a source on their side. I have never missed a day of work; do you think that’s who I am? I’ve never departed before completing my end of the bargain. I often stay for as long as I can. I actually worked the nine days in July when I was starting [Horizon] on August 1st in an attempt to assist them. Even after my Saturday and Sunday labor, they still required four more days. “.”.
How will John Dutton’s passing be handled in Yellowstone season five, part two?
We won’t find out until Sunday night, when the show premieres. Even though Costner makes an appearance in the trailer for future episodes, it’s unclear whether this is repurposed footage, brand-new scenes, or simply moments on set where he happened to be turning around and muttering something. We just need to watch to find out if he will be a force ghost, a CGI monster, or a man we never see again after an off-screen death.
So, is Yellowstone coming to an end?
Indeed, as we know it. As for her character Beth Dutton, Kelly Reilly told the New York Times this week that she is willing to continue and is “very happy to let her disappear,” even though negotiations are underway for a revised season six. But don’t worry. Your future will be filled with plenty of grizzled men on horses making cultural commentary because the Taylor Sheridan universe is constantly growing.
