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Fans are finally getting some updates about the new Yellowstone sequel, tentatively titled 2024, and we now know which cast members for the original series will be coming on board. Keep reading to see who’s joining the Yellowstone sequel and what this means for the ending of the flagship show.
Who’s joining the Yellowstone sequel?
According to industry newsletter Puck, original cast members Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly and Luke Grimes will be reprising their roles in the upcoming sequel series, which will continue the Dutton family story and will be set in present day. Back in February, the newsletter reported that the actors were engaged in an ongoing pay dispute with Paramount about their involvement in the new series, which was first announced in May 2023 at the same time that Yellowstone was canceled.
Reilly, who stars as the feisty Beth Dutton, was allegedly asking for $1.2 million per episode (down from an initial demand of $1.5 million), while Hauser, who plays her on-screen husband Rip Wheeler, was asking for $1.25 million an episode. It’s unclear what Grimes, who plays the youngest Dutton sibling Kayce Dutton, was asking for, but his number was allegedly much lower than that of his co-stars. Reilly and Hauser were also allegedly asking to be at the top of the call sheet, ahead of the new leading stars. Although the dispute was dragged out for several months, Puck now reports that the threesome have “ended their standoff and are wrapping up deals to return for the sequel series.”
Hauser had previously hinted that he was going to stick around in the Yellowstone universe. “I’m so focused on finishing Yellowstone the way it needs to be finished right now – well, just the show itself,” he told Country Living during an April 2024 interview. “We’ll see where that leads. But I know that there’s some stuff on the horizon when it comes to Taylor’s ideas for Kelly Reilly and myself, and some of the other cast. I’m excited to see where he goes creatively with that. But right now it’s just: Let’s finish strong; let’s do the best we can.”
Reilly shared a similar sentiment the month prior, telling RadioTimes: “I just care about finishing [the main show] with as much care and as much passion and as much love as I can muster to put into it. That’s what I care about. I’m sort of prepping for that now [and] that’s my tunnel vision thing that I care about most.” She added of her potential involvement in the sequel: “And what goes on beyond that? There are discussions, you know. Don’t believe everything you read. It’s just nonsense. But we’re gonna, you know, let’s wait and see. I don’t have an answer right now. But we’ll see.”
Not much is known about the new series (working title 2024), but Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer are reportedly in talks to star. The show’s development has been stalled significantly because it is dependent on how Yellowstone will end in Season 5 Part 2. After a year-long hiatus, the beloved Western drama finally began filming again in May 2024 and the last few episodes are expected to drop in November 2024.
As of this writing, the show’s star, Kevin Costner, is not expected to reprise his role as family patriarch John Dutton. Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan allegedly had multiple disputes over scheduling and the show’s creative direction, which lead Costner to exit ahead of Season 5 Part 2. Following his departure, Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter that he was “disappointed” with the actor’s decision. “It truncates the closure of his character,” he said of John Dutton. “It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”
Hauser, Reilly and Grimes’ involvement in the new show leads us to believe that John Dutton will likely get killed off in the final few episodes. There’s also been no talk of Wes Bentley reprising his role as John’s adoptive son Jamie in the sequel, so he might also get the axe as well. The last time viewers saw Jamie, Beth had vowed to take him out of the picture for good, so perhaps the series will end in a Dutton bloodbath that only Beth, Rip and Kayce will survive. Unfortunately, viewers have a long ways to go until they can find out.
Season 5 Part 2 of Yellowstone will premiere in November 2024 and all episodes can be streamed on Peacock.