So, Where Is Kevin Costner in This Season of Yellowstone?

As a dedicated fan and follower of the tumultuous world of Hollywood, I must say that the saga of Kevin Costner and Yellowstone has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. From the initial promise of seven seasons to the eventual five, it’s been a journey filled with intrigue, speculation, and a dash of drama.

Imagine yourself tuned into the show ‘Yellowstone’, specifically episode two from season five. You’re curious about when and how much Kevin Costner will deliver his signature gruff performance in this series. If you’re keen on catching Kevin Costner in action, switch to ‘Horizon Part 1’ instead, as that’s where he was filming during the production of these ‘Yellowstone’ episodes. While it’s a different movie, it’s worth watching because, unlike John Dutton, he sports a completely distinct headgear in this one.

For anyone who’s joining in late on the thrilling saga of Yellowstone and Kevin Costner, let me briefly summarize the plot so far, covering the current status of the Dutton family’s leader.

How did we get here?

Yellowstone, well-known for being written solely by Taylor Sheridan, is a one-man show who prefers to work independently. However, as Sheridan now pens numerous series, crafting countless episodes of television annually is time-consuming, regardless of his skill in horseback riding. It appears that when Costner was ready to film, Sheridan hadn’t yet completed the Yellowstone scripts on time, resulting in missed opportunities to feature Costner.

Couldn’t Costner have rescheduled things to make filming work?

As reported by People in September 2023 during a child-support hearing, Costner admitted that he had adjusted his schedule to film the first half of season five, emphasizing its significance in the industry. Notably, Costner’s personal project, Horizon, is a self-funded endeavor valued at $35 million, and the delay of Yellowstone had already occurred – the first half of season five premiered in November 2022! Given the number of people involved in both projects who also have their own schedules to manage, and considering the strained relationship between Costner’s team and Sheridan’s, it seems unlikely that any further accommodations would be made.

Wait, there’s beef?

Oh honey, it’s what’s for dinner. In February 2023, when reports first emerged that Yellowstone as we know it would end after season five, sources told Deadline that Costner was only willing to spend one single week filming the final episodes. Costner’s team took umbrage at this, as his litigator Marty Singer told Puck: “The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of season five of Yellowstone is an absolute lie.” In that same issue of Puck, it was noted that Costner’s longtime assistant and associate Glenn Kleczkowski had a few months prior posted (and then deleted) some heavy criticism of another Sheridan show, Tulsa King, on Instagram: “Stick to westerns, bro. You don’t know SHIT about THIS life. Stay in your lane, country boy. I’m actually embarrassed for you as a writer and creator.” Hoo boy!

Information kept surfacing that appeared to portray Costner as a difficult actor whose stubbornness was hindering the filming process. He demanded approval over Yellowstone scripts, had a clause in his contract that forbade them from killing off John Dutton in a manner that Costner found personally humiliating, and then contracted COVID-19 during production, further reducing his working hours.

Yet some hope remained, with Sheridan addressing the drama in a Hollywood Reporter profile in June 2023. “My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” he said, adding, “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 even gave Costner credit for how he dealt with the bad press: “He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it.”

Did Costner ever publicly comment?

Speaking about him, the press tour for “Horizon” was truly remarkable! Each time we saw Kevin Costner, he shared a valuable insight from his Academy Award-winning career. The tour kicked off on an optimistic note in April 2024 when the actor hinted at the possibility of returning to the series during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. He mentioned that he had initially planned for seven seasons but was currently working on the fifth. “Maybe it will,” he said, referring to a potential return. “If it does and I feel good about it, I’d be delighted to participate again.

In May, he provided a more specific explanation about Deadline in an interview filled with colorful language and intriguing comments such as “Writing is really challenging, I understand.” When queried if Horizon was the reason for his inability to complete additional Yellowstone episodes, he was unequivocal: “That’s not accurate. During those periods, we didn’t manage to produce 10 episodes as usual. We typically started in April and went through August, working for 10 episodes. However, during that time, we didn’t even reach 10 completed episodes. I worked for only 43 days. Therefore, that’s nonsense. That’s false information. That’s not accurate.

He additionally made it clear that he wasn’t only planning to work for a week: “In reality, there were no scripts available at the time. I told them, ‘If you want to wrap things up gracefully, the most I can offer is a week. If you manage to come up with a storyline…’, usually I work six or seven days per week. However, they took that statement and one of their sources twisted it into the idea that I was only willing to work for a week for an entire season. Is that really who I am? I’ve never missed a day of work and I always fulfill my contractual obligations. In fact, I worked nine consecutive days just to assist them in July, when I was about to start [Horizon]. I even worked on Saturdays and Sundays for them, but they still needed four more days.

How will Yellowstone season five (part two) handle the end of John Dutton?

We’re unsure about the role of Costner in the show until its premiere on Sunday night. Although he appears in the trailer for future episodes, it remains undetermined whether these scenes are recycled footage, new sequences, or mere instances caught on set where he was incidentally turning around and mumbling. Will he be a spirit-like character, a CGI creation, or a character who dies off-screen and is rarely seen again? To discover the truth, we’ll need to watch the show.

So is this the end of Yellowstone?

It’s been reported that a reworked season 6 is being discussed, and actress Kelly Reilly recently shared with the New York Times this week that her character Beth Dutton is open to returning and also “content with her potential departure.” However, don’t worry as creator Taylor Sheridan’s universe continues to grow, ensuring more rugged men on horses delivering cultural insights in your future.

2024-11-09 00:56