Kevin Costner is denying that he wanted out of “Yellowstone.”
The actor revealed during his divorce proceedings that he “did negotiate” to return for three more seasons of the hit Paramount series created by Taylor Sheridan (via The Independent). However, due to alleged scheduling conflicts, Costner eventually exited the show, leading to its fifth season being its final installment.
Costner called the situation “complicated” with tensions stemming from the “creative” team, consisting solely of Sheridan.
“There were issues about creative. I tried to break the logjam,” Costner said. “They walked away.” The “Dances With Wolves” actor added that he will “probably go to court” over the failed negotiations. The actor noted that he was offered $24 million for seasons six and seven if greenlit.
A previous Deadline report claimed that Costner only wanted to spend one week filming his seasons for the second half of Season 5, with Costner instead looking to make time to direct his long-awaited passion project film “Horizon: An American West.”
To note, Costner initially only spent 65 days of shooting on the series during its first few seasons. For the first part of Season 5, Costner reportedly demanded that be reduced to 50 days, and for the second batch of episodes, he allegedly requested that he only spend a week filming.
Yet Costner’s attorney Marty Singer told Puck in February 2023 that the rumor was an “absolute lie,” saying, “It’s ridiculous – and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success.”
At the time, Paramount issued a press statement citing the upcoming spinoffs without Costner: “We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of ‘Yellowstone’ and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”