We’re desperate to see Kevin Costner back as John Dutton, but with Yellowstone filming its final episodes soon the future’s still uncertain.
It’s been nearly a year since Yellowstone season 5 part 1 made its debut, and since then news about Taylor Sheridan’s genre-defining series has made for grim reading. The show was announced to be coming to an end, and then Kevin Costner appeared to quit, leading to a significant (but understandable) delay.
Finally, though, Yellowstone fans have a reason to rejoice. Yellowstone season 5 part 2, which is due to release in November 2024, will almost certainly be coming out on time as filming for the final episodes is set to begin in the Spring. The first half of season 5 followed the same schedule, with the Yellowstone cast commencing filming in June 2022 for a November 2022 release.
However, the positive announcement, reported by Variety, comes amid a turbulent time for the mega-hit series which is supported by a wealth of equally beloved spin-offs set across the Yellowstone timeline. Kevin Costner, Western movie icon who plays John Dutton, is reportedly refusing to return to film the final episodes of the show after creative, scheduling, and pay disputes.
Whether or not the actor will make himself available for the conclusion to the series still remains to be seen, though it’s hard to imagine a satisfying conclusion to the show without the Dutton patriarch. If Costner does rule himself out, the obvious answer is that Sheridan will opt to write the actor out of his best TV series with an offscreen death, leaving the Dutton children (Beth, Jamie, and Kayce) to fight among themselves as the show ends.
Still, no matter how Sheridan manages to handle the premature death of his flagship series, the Dutton story will still be continuing across the foreseeable future.
The 1923 season 2 release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, but we do know that the Harrison Ford series will return in the not-too-distant future. Additionally, the 6666 spin-off, featuring Jimmy at the fore, is still on the cards, albeit with news about its development being sparse. Two further spin-offs have also been announced recently, in the form of a direct sequel series titled 2024 (presumably led by Matthew McConaughey), and another prequel, 1944.
While Sheridan has done more than enough by this point to allay any fears about the quality of these spin-offs (he’s got a brilliant track record so far, with the astonishing 1883 and the steady 1923), the final episodes of Yellowstone season 5 will still be the main event. Audiences across the world have spent half a decade now following John, his children, and the ranch hands, and the Yellowstone characters are well-loved by fans.
The show’s devotees, ourselves included, will be hoping the series concludes the story naturally, and gracefully, despite the turbulence. That way, we can all have one last yee-haw, and watch the Duttons ride off into Montana sunset, as they deserve.