Given that the final episodes of Yellowstone are scheduled to begin production in the coming weeks, you’d think that most of the drama surrounding the show’s long-delayed and much-anticipated end would have been put to rest by now, but that’s not the case.
The latest flurry of discussion comes courtesy of none other than Kevin Costner, who has been making the rounds recently to promote his new two-part film Horizon: An American Saga. Costner famously played the Dutton family patriarch on Yellowstone through the first half of the fifth season (which went on a prolonged hiatus after debuting its last episode in January 2023) and subsequently shocked fans when he announced last spring that he would be exiting the show. Shortly thereafter, Paramount announced that the series itself would be coming to a close after the yet-to-be-filmed second half of the fifth season.
Since then, Dutton devotees have been eagerly awaiting a firm confirmation as to whether or not Costner will appear in some form in the show’s final episodes, and while there has yet to be an official announcement, Costner’s latest statement seems to be another nail in John Dutton’s metaphorical coffin.
The star recently told Entertainment Weekly that he still hasn’t been in contact with Yellowstone creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan regarding the show’s final episodes—this despite the fact that said episodes are scheduled to begin filming as early as this month.
“No, we haven’t [talked],” Costner told the publication. However, he also said that he would be willing to consider working with Sheridan on projects in the future, an interesting tidbit considering that friction between the actor and showrunner was rumored to be a factor in Costner’s exit.
“He’s doing special work in a lot of different ways. He’s very prolific about the things he does, and if he sees me in something that he wants to do, I’ll look at it just the way I did Yellowstone and maybe we will end up doing something together,” Costner told EW. “He likes a lot of the things that I like, and the idea of us working together is not out of the question for me. The subjects he chooses are very interesting to me. I like a lot of that stuff. Yellowstone stands as something that could continue. But that is a Taylor question. But other things that he’s doing I think are really, really good. He likes the same subjects that I do.”
Costner’s latest comments would appear to echo the growing consensus that he won’t be returning for the Yellowstone finale—or the in-the-works spin-off currently operating under the name 2024—but until there’s an official announcement, fans are still holding out hope to see John Dutton one last time.