Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner’s collaboration has resulted in one of the best TV shows of all time, Yellowstone. But since all good things must come to an end, the acclaimed Western series will be ending soon with the release of the second half of its fifth season. However, the series is not just ending but seems to be going down thanks to the rumors of a feud between the duo due to scheduling conflicts.
While it remains unknown whether Costner will return as John Dutton in the final episodes of Yellowstone, what Sheridan once said about the actor proves that the series could not go far without the Oscar-winning star.
Taylor Sheridan Praises Kevin Costner for His Yellowstone Portrayal
Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone has been off-air for a long while. As fans await the return of the show, which will be ending with the second half of its fifth season, they have been eagerly waiting for the production to confirm whether Kevin Costner will be returning or not. While he did remark recently in an interview that he would love to return (via ET), there has been no update so far.
Well, update or not, there is no doubt that Costner’s absence would leave a huge gap that cannot be filled anyhow. Sheridan’s comments about the actor from the past prove that Yellowstone needs Costner’s John Dutton to survive. Back in 2023, Sheridan stated the following about the Oscar-winning star after it went viral that Costner would be leaving the show due to scheduling conflicts (via THR).
My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered. His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone.
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However, he later added that he would be disappointed if Costner was absent from the final episodes since it would truncate the closure of his character. Yet, Sheridan remains full of praise for the actor despite him leaving the show in the middle.
Will Kevin Costner Return to Yellowstone?
The final episodes of Yellowstone have begun shooting, as star Cose Hauser confirmed on Instagram, but there is no update so far on whether Kevin Costner will return as John Dutton or not. Although Costner has mentioned a few times that he would love to return, he seems busy making his multi-part Western saga, Horizon, whose first and second parts will be released this summer (see Empire).
Yet, in the latest interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the Cannes Film Festival, Costner set the record straight and remarked,
I will come back to the show if it lives up to everything we have been trying to build on that show. It’s just things happened For the show five seasons are a lot… But until somebody says something that makes sense to me, that’s where I stand.
He then went on to reveal the real drama that went down between the production and himself, stating he did want to make the series yet the scheduling conflicts on part of the show made it impossible since he had over 400 people on Horizon waiting for him.
While this might be one of the first times that Costner got candid about the behind-the-set feud, his comments about returning do hint that if the writing is good, he can return as John Dutton.