The Yellowstone finale will air next week without Kevin Costner - or will it?

The final six episodes of the fifth and supposedly final season of the breakout Western success Yellowstone are scheduled to air in November – almost two years after the first half of the series aired in January 2023.

“Yellowstone” was a huge success for studio Paramount and creator Taylor Sheridan. Over 12 million people tuned in to follow the fate of the Dutton family on their ranch in Montana.

However, the series experienced production delays due to the Hollywood writers' strike in 2023, which were compounded by scheduling issues with star Kevin Costner. The Oscar-winning cowboy lover plays John Dutton III, the family patriarch, but appears to have left the series.

Will Kevin Costner appear in the episodes?

Costner can be seen in the season finale trailer, but it's unclear how much of it is fresh footage.

The actor apparently confirmed on Instagram earlier this year that he had left the show to focus on directing his four-part western film series, Horizon: An American Saga. “I think of Yellowstone, this beloved series that I love and that I know you love. “I just realized I can’t continue in the fifth year or in the future,” Costner said.

The trailer for the final episodes of the fifth season of Yellowstone

Costner originally signed on to appear in a sixth and seventh season, and it now sounds like he won't appear – if it even happens. The star also reportedly had a clause in his contract that said he should have the final say on how his character dies on the show. Hence the legal battles between the actor and the studio.

Sheridan expressed that he was “disappointed” that Costner decided to leave the show and focus on his own film. “It shortens the closure of his character. It doesn't change it, but it shortens it,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter.

By the end of the midseason finale, most of the characters were at each other's throats, giving the writers ample opportunity to sideline Costner's character.

Will there be more seasons of Yellowstone?

It seemed clear that with Costner's departure, the original Yellowstone would be limited to five seasons. There are already several spin-offs in different time series, and Sheridan has floated an idea for a sequel starring Matthew McConaughey.

However, a new rumor suggests that Paramount is now considering a sixth season.

“Yellowstone” is about the family that runs a ranch in Montana

Paramount Network

This information about Yellowstone comes from Puck Hollywood, an insider newsletter from journalist Matthew Belloni. According to Belloni, Paramount is currently exploring the current cast – minus Costner – to return for more installments. Variety confirmed through its own sources that Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton (John Dutton III's daughter), and Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler (Beth's husband), are in discussions with the studio.

To make matters even more confusing, Costner had previously told People magazine that he might be tempted to return to Yellowstone – if he liked the outcome of the story. “It could be an interesting moment to come back and finish the mythology of this modern family,” he said. “If that happens, I would intervene if I agreed with how it was being done.”

How are all the Yellowstone spin-offs connected?

Since the modern cowboy series has proven to be such a runaway success, it's perhaps no surprise that Sheridan has released as many star-studded series from the franchise as possible.

Yellowstone is set in the present. The first season, which aired in 2022, is set in 2018 and the fifth season runs chronologically to 2023.

The first prequel dates back to 1883, the name indicating the year in which the series is set. Starring Tim McGraw as James Dillard Dutton, the great-grandfather of Costner's John Dutton III, and McGraw's real-life wife Faith Hill as his wife Margaret, the film follows the family as they leave Tennessee, join a wagon train, and eventually settle in Montana, the Yellowstone Dutton to start a ranch. The standalone series consisted of 10 episodes.

Harrison Ford in the 1923 Yellowstone sequel

Paramount+

Next up is 1923, the sequel to 1883 and another prequel to Yellowstone. Harrison Ford played Jacob Dutton, brother of McGraw's James, and Helen Mirren played his wife Cara Dutton. Appropriate for the setting, it followed the fate of the Duttons through Prohibition and the beginning of the Great Depression. The first season has aired and a second is reportedly underway.

A third prequel titled 1944 has been announced, but details are still top secret.

Then there's the rumored sequel to “Yellowstone,” which was originally titled “2024.” This was the series in which McConaughey was supposedly in discussion as the lead actor. This appears to have become “The Madison,” a spin-off starring Michelle Pfeiffer as part of a family living in New York City in the Madison River Valley of Montana.

In addition, Sheridon is also working on “6666” – pronounced “four sixes” – with Jefferson White, who plays Jimmy Hurdstrom in Yellowstone. Jimmy was a ranch hand at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, but was exiled to the Four Sixes Ranch for breaking his promise to John Dutton III that he would no longer compete in rodeo competitions. Production on 6666 has yet to begin, although the series creator has now purchased the actual ranch that inspired the Four Sixes Ranch in his series for a cool $350 million (£269 million).

The second part of Yellowstone season 5 airs November 10th at 8pm Eastern on Paramount

The Yellowstone finale will air next week without Kevin Costner – or will it?

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