Kevin Costner made the morning talk show rounds on Monday in support of his upcoming film release, Horizon, the first part of which hits theaters on June 26. Costner appeared on both Today and The View, and one topic that came up in both discussions was, of course, the subject of whether he’ll return for the final stretch of Yellowstone.
Reports of Costner’s exit from the Western series have been circulating for a year at this point, with the cause of his departure consistently in question. Some have pointed to scheduling issues, while other rumors indicate there were creative differences with Taylor Sheridan at play. To hear Costner describe it on Monday, though, it sounds like it really was just a scheduling issue… but that was caused by some delayed “materials,” which he didn’t elaborate on.
Speaking to Savannah Guthrie on Today, Costner explained his exit like so: “Number one, I did it for five years. And I want to work more than once a year. And we lost an entire year at one point, and I thought, ‘Well, that can’t ever happen again.’ It was well over a year. And I said, ‘I just have to be in the position to make the things.’ And really, it’s just … there’s a chance to do both of them, but material has to be ready at certain times, and we weren’t able to do that. And I thought, well, after five years, I’m just going to do this. And if we can get that, and I can do that, then I will do it.”
He had a similar sentiment to share on The View, saying, “Yeah, I think there’s a way to work twice a year… I’d like to more than once a year. So yeah… but everything has to come to a point where it makes sense in your life, and when it does, you seize it. That’s the way I have been. I mean, you know, Horizon I started in 1998, and no one wanted to make it, and in 2003, no one wanted to make it. So I decided I would make four. And that means immediately put me on the bench … But I don’t fall out of love with things. And so that’s why I stuck with Horizon. And so my hope is at Yellowstone, there is a way to circle back to it. But I’ll know that the moment it’s right.”
Considering Season 5, Part 2 recently, officially went into production, it sounds like Costner has some decisions to make… and fast!
Yellowstone, Season 5, Part 2, November 2024, Paramount Network