‘Yellowstone’: Breaking Down Reports of Kevin Costner’s Potential Exit and Matthew McConaughey’s Spin-Off Series
Perhaps one of the most acclaimed series over the past few years, Yellowstone may be looking at having an earlier-than-expected series finale, according to a new report, though the Dutton dynasty will endure.
The story comes from Deadline, and apparently, we should have expected this. Due to scheduling conflicts with his passion project, the new Western film Horizon, Kevin Costner wanted to minimize his time on set of the Paramount Network series, which didn’t go well with the network, showrunner and executive producer Taylor Sheridan, and the rest of the cast. The series is currently in production for the second half of the fifth season, which will air this summer, after the initial batch of eight episodes premiered late last year.
According to the story, Costner does not want to spend more than a week shooting Yellowstone, which is a bit of a head-scratcher for the entire team, since he plays the patriarch of the family that anchors the story. Trying to solve this situation, the network may have decided to move on and start developing a continuation of the Dutton family story without the actor. And according to Deadline, that would mean a “franchise extension” series that Sheridan would write, and for which Matthew McConaughey is currently in talks to star. From the wording of the report, we understand this would be a sequel series, and not a sixth season of Yellowstone that would recast the role of John Dutton. It’s unclear, however, if McConaughey would play that very role in a new series, or if it would be focused on another Dutton. Deadline also notes that they don’t know whether the Yellowstone cast would carry over to the new show.
However, The Hollywood Reporter says that the main Yellowstone series could be game for a sixth season even if Costner departed. They also note that, according to insiders, news of Costner’s scheduling conflict with the network could be a negotiating tactic by Paramount.
In the meantime, though, Paramount did make a statement to the trade where they wouldn’t confirm Costner’s departure, and instead, said that they are looking forward to a long relationship with the Oscar-winning actor. Said a spokesperson for the network:
“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
Costner started shooting Horizon last August, which he is directing, co-writing, producing, and starring in. It is the first of a trilogy that he’s been passionate about for a long time and is also self-financing. Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington are also attached. This project was already responsible for Yellowstone season 5 being split into two parts, with the last six episodes confirmed to be coming out this summer.
Taylor Sheridan is running the entire ship at Paramount television. The Yellowstone universe already has two successful spin-offs, the prequels 1883 and 1923, the latter of which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren; it was just renewed for a second season. Additionally, he’s the showrunner on Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, and Mayor of Kingstown, starring Jeremy Renner, which is currently airing its second season.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
