Kevin Costner’s Upcoming Western Franchise Replaces 1 Yellowstone Sequel That Can Never Happen

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Kevin Costner has an exciting upcoming Western movie that could spawn a franchise, which is the perfect replacement for his Yellowstone departure.

Kevin Costner’s upcoming Western will be the perfect replacement for a Yellowstone possibility that never happened. Yellowstone season 5, part 2, is confirmed with a late 2024 release date intended. However, Kevin Costner, who’s played the lead role of John Dutton for five seasons, likely won’t be returning to reprise his role to finish off the series. Costner has embarked on a different creative journey, fulfilling a 30-year passion project for a cinematic Western franchise that he’s self-funding, directing, and starring in, along with a few Yellowstone cast members.

Among many Yellowstone behind-the-scenes controversies is Kevin Costner’s sudden departure. In the wake of his decision to pursue his Western film project, Costner attempted to negotiate for a reduced role, but wasn’t able to come to an agreement with showrunner Taylor Sheridan and the studio. Taylor Sheridan is hopeful about concluding the series without its star, saying he’s “super happy with how he currently wraps up the show without Costner.” While Yellowstone’s ending may get dicey without John Dutton, Kevin Costner has exciting things coming up, including his Western film Horizon: An American Saga.

Kevin Costner’s Horizon Franchise Replaces Any Potential Yellowstone Movie Sequels
A Yellowstone Sequel Movie Is Probably Not Happening, But Horizon Could Fill The Void

With the prestige quality writing and movie-star cast of Yellowstone, as well as the show’s enormous audience, it seemed fitting that a movie spin-off would be possible. Many TV shows, from Breaking Bad to The Last Kingdom, have embraced sequel movies as a way to provide a proper, high-budget climax to a beloved series. While Yellowstone likely won’t have this without Kevin Costner’s involvement, Costner’s Horizon franchise could be the most fulfilling replacement. The film is set to release on June 28, 2024, with a sequel following almost immediately on August 16.

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There are some notable differences between Horizon and Yellowstone, most notably the setting. The TV series is contemporary, while Horizon returns to the traditional frontiersman setting of movies like Dances with Wolves (also directed by Costner). Kevin Costner leads the Horizon cast, and he’s joined by other Yellowstone alum like Danny Huston and Will Patton. It’s set to be a sprawling epic that’ll be the perfect fit for audiences searching for more Kevin Costner Western excitement.

Horizon Sounds Like Kevin Costner’s Perfect Yellowstone Replacement
Horizon Is A Kevin Costner Passion Project That Should Offer Epic Western Adventure

One of the major appeals of Yellowstone in recent years is that it’s expanded into a franchise, with three Yellowstone shows out already and more in development. Horizon will offer a similar premise if the first two films are successful. Kevin Costner plans to develop four movies in the series, and he’s displayed an evident passion for the project, which he’s been working on since 1988. Even if Yellowstone has its shortcomings at the end, Horizon is the perfect replacement for him.

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