How is this even a thing? It feels like it was forever ago, but earlier last year, it was rumored that
Kevin Costner would be exiting
Yellowstone due to conflicts in film scheduling. Unfortunately, these rumors turned out to be true, as it was later confirmed by Costner himself that he was no longer apart of the
Yellowstone saga, and the show would be coming to an end after the second half of Season 5. The new season will premiere on November 10th, without Kevin Costner, who plays the Dutton family patriarch, John Dutton. We've learned a little more of the conversations that went on between Costner and the show's co-creator Taylor Sheridan, and how this whole thing blew up at the peak of its popularity. In a
Puck News article from Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni, we learned that Sheridan had completely
written Costner out of the script for the second half of Season 5, which was mostly done when the writer's strike began in May of 2023. We also learned that Costner attempted to rejoin the show, and also for a possible sixth and seventh season. However, he also demanded more money, a reduced film schedule, and also the right to review, approve, and even change the scripts that Sheridan wrote. We now know that nobody in the cast saw a script aside from
their own lines. Needless to say, Sheridan refused to agree to that. But, another intriguing aspect of the
Puck article, was the mentioning of a "moral death" provision that was apart of Costner's initial
Yellowstone deal. The clause was put in during one of Costner's early renegotiations for the show (probably after Season 1), and it lists the different types of ways John Dutton (Costner's character) can, and more importantly, can not be killed off. Essentially, John Dutton can't be killed off in any embarrassing or shameful ways that would bring about some embarrassment on Kevin Costner's name as well. Sounds insane, right? However, it might not be an issue, as Taylor Sheridan has said that he would never compromise his storyline to get back at someone. Sheridan opened up in a lengthy interview with the
Hollywood Reporter , and he dove a little into the reported tension between him and Costner.
“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward (around you),’ which we did. 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. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it." However, he isn't just going to axe John Dutton because the film schedule didn't work out. Even though that happened to him personally on
Sons Of Anarchy: “I don't do f*** you car crashes. Whether (the story) inflates ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.” This clause will obviously play an intriguing role in the conclusion of the show, as it limits the ways in which John Dutton will pass away. However, since he won't even be there on set, how undignified can it really get? I guess we'll have to wait and see what Sheridan can come up with... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQmKIKt1zk
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