Chaos erupted Monday after fans of hit cowboy drama “Yellowstone” started discussing the likelihood of leading man Kevin Costner not returning for the final chapter of the franchise’s flagship show.
“Am I the only one upset that Kevin Costner is ready to cut ties with the Yellowstone series?” a Reddit user posted, to which more than a hundred loyal fans of the show replied with their thoughts. Drama started between Costner and his career-reviving show in the summer of 2022 when rumors swirled about his now-ex-wife demanding he quit the show to spend more time with family.
The 2023 Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes compounded the issue, forcing Sheridan to stop writing the final season and stopping Costner from having to make a firm decision on his return.
“You’re probably not the only one, but realistically what is he supposed to do, wait on Sheridan to get his ducks in a row,” one user replied to the original prompt. “At some point the excuses run thin for [Taylor Sheridan]. We are closing in on 14 months since the last Yellowstone episode aired. (1/6/23 if you’re curious). I don’t blame Costner one bit.”
“No, I’m still hoping Kevin [Costner] will be in the last season. His character is too big to just disappear without leaving a canyon in the story,” wrote another, with whom I agree.
There is no conclusion to “Yellowstone” without Costner. He allegedly has a “moral death” clause in his contract, which guarantees his character doesn’t die off in a crappy car accident or something like that. So, is there really any reason Costner has to piss off all of his fans, who will take it out on his latest project “Horizon” if he screws up the empire we’ve all be watching collapse around him (within the storyline and reality).
“Kevin Costner makes the show. Without him, there’s no point. The kids and [Rip] have nothing to fight for,” one Reddit user added, which I think is the best way to describe the situation.
“The entire premise of the first few seasons of the show was what happens to the ranch after John Dutton dies. So let him die. They could have written him off long ago, before all the behind the scenes drama and the show would likely still be going,” another user added. And this is interesting.
If Costner comes back for just ten minutes of one episode, enough time for him to say goodbye and die, it could make the final season worth it.