Kevin Costner has confirmed he definitely won’t be back for the end of Yellowstone.
It was reported last year that the 59-year-old would be leaving the Paramount+ Western drama for good which then led to the announcement of series five being its last.
There have been talk of creative differences with creator Taylor Sheridan, as well as scheduling conflicts with Kevin’s film franchise Horizon: An American Saga.
But with the actor previously stating that he would “absolutely be open” to returning to the show, many believed that there was still a chance John’s story would end in the right way.
Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be the case as Kevin has confirmed his permanent departure from Yellowstone.
In a video shared on Instagram, the actor said: “Hi everyone. I just wanna reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon, doing all of the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone – that beloved series that I love, that I know you love – I just realised that I’m not going to be able to continue season 5B or into the future.
“It was something that really changed me.
“I loved it, and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning.
“And I love the relationship that we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
He captioned the disappointing video simply: “An update for you guys. I’ll see you at the movies.”
Last month, Kevin opened up to Deadline on what he alleges to be what really happened to lead him to walk away from the show.
He states that it is because the creators “kept moving their gaps” for contracts which caused issues for him regarding shooting Horizon.
Kevin also alleged that he made a contract for seasons five and six, with a further contract being made in February following negotiations, according to Deadline.
He said: “They wanted to redo that one, and instead of seasons six and seven, it was 5A and 5B, and maybe we’ll do six. They weren’t able to make those.
“Horizon was set in the middle, but Yellowstone was first position. I fit [Horizon] into the gaps. They just kept moving their gaps.”
He added: “But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong. I did not initiate any of those things. They did.”
Yellowstone is available to watch on Paramount+.