Kevin Costner Won’t Appear in ‘Yellowstone’ Final Season

Kevin Costner says, once and for all, that he is not coming back to Yellowstone.

The hit cable series finally began filming its fifth and final season recently without Costner as ranching patriarch John Dutton. Just last month, Costner signaled he would still be open to filming some sort of farewell to the show, even though production had resumed without him, telling Deadline he was “very open to coming back … if the writing’s there and I’m happy with it. I’m open to that.”

But Costner also said at that time that he “took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out” — regarding reports that Costner was fighting with various parties behind the scenes of Yellowstone. A few weeks later, on the eve of the release of Costner’s first film as director and star in 20 years, he posted a video on social media making it clear that however Yellowstone concludes, it will be without his participation.

As he put it…

I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that that’s required and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love. I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue, season five or into the future.

 

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Costner reiterated that he “loved [Yellowstone] and I know you loved it, and I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning.”

The first half of Costner’s new Western film, Horizon: An American Saga, premieres in theaters next Friday, June 28. The final episodes of Yellowstone are scheduled to debut on November 10. It’s not clear how the show will address Costner’s departure. It is expected that following the conclusion of Yellowstone, a new spinoff show will take its place featuring other members of its cast, but no Costner.