Yellowstone has been one of the most prominent TV shows with massive popularity. The Kevin Costner-led show has been widely popular even resulting in several spin-off TV shows. However, the popularity of the show isn’t only limited to the viewership records but also the salaries of the actors which can even compete with actors under franchise giants like Marvel.
The Taylor Sheridan-created series was initially pitched to HBO before going to Paramount. It turned out to be a massive hit and gained a huge fan following. Although the future of Yellowstone is currently uncertain, the series has rolled out some impressive paychecks to its stars with Kevin Costner leading the race.
Yellowstone cast’s salary can compete with the Marvel cartel
Yellowstone focuses on the Dutton family and the owners of the largest ranch in Montana that borders the Yellowstone National Park. After being denied by HBO, when the show went to Paramount, it garnered some impressive viewership records for the network. The show also boasts some amazing salaries for its actors that can even put some major franchises to shame.
According to Variety, the John Dutton III actor and the show icon Kevin Costner makes $1.3 million per episode for the fifth season. Till now 8 episodes from Season 5 are aired while the rest 6 were put on hold indefinitely. This also ensures that if Costner gets successful in completing the series, then he will amass a total of $18.2 million.
When Kevin Costner started working on the series, he earned $500k per episode. The rest of the cast also reportedly enjoys a salary of around $200k per episode. Even though this might look like nothing in front of Robert Downey Jr.‘s mammoth $75 million from Avengers: Endgame, it is more impressive than many other actors in the MCU.
Actors like Paul Rudd and Brie Larson have all reportedly earned less than $10 million as their highest paychecks in the MCU. According to Forbes, even the iconic Chris Evans has also earned a total of $15 million from Avengers: Endgame which is less than Kevin Costner’s supposed salary from Season 5 of Yellowstone.
What is the future of Yellowstone?
There’s currently a shadow of uncertainty among Yellowstone fans as the second part of the show’s fifth season is put on an indefinite hold. Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike and some other reasons, the show was put on hold.
While the strike played an important role, the tensions between Kevin Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan also contributed to the uncertainty. Rumors suggested that Costner wanted his Yellowstone salary to be pushed even further to $1.5 million which caused a feud with Sheridan. On the other hand, Costner’s devotion to another franchise Horizon might have also played a role here.
Reportedly, the show will not return for a sixth season even though several spin-offs are in development. The prequel shows 1883 and 1923 have been hit while some others like Lawmen: Bass Reeves, 6666, and 1944 are reportedly in development. Another spin-off sequel with Matthew McConaughey is also reportedly to be in the early stages of development.
Yellowstone can be streamed on Peacock Premium.