Kevin Costner Finally Opens Up About Coming Back to 'Yellowstone'

Nothing about the behind-the-scenes world of Yellowstone seems to make sense, and that's just something that fans of the Western-series have come to terms with. Well, the future of the Dutton family just got a lot more confusing given Kevin Costner's recent comments on the show.

For the first time since his reported departure, Kevin Costner publicly spoke about the upcoming and final season of Yellowstone, and it seems like he wants in on it. Yes, you read that correctly. Costner—who had reportedly confirmed his exit from the show after a disagreement with showrunner Taylor Sheridan—just discussed his potential return to Yellowstone.

Well, this is certainly confusing—but in the best way possible. Still, there's a lot to unpack now, so read on for everything there is to know about this situation, and whether or not Kevin Costner really is leaving Yellowstone.

Is Kevin Costner leaving 'Yellowstone'?

Given Kevin's comments, nothing is certain (even though his exit did seem pretty certain all those months ago).

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the John Dutton actor was asked if he thought he'd be able to finish the latter half of Yellowstone season 5.

Costner had this to say in response: "I'd like to be able to do it but we haven't been able to... I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we're at five. So how it works out — I hope it does — but they've got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I'd love to do it."

Yes, this does sound somewhat exciting, but it's also a bit of a departure from previous reports over the last year. To refresh, rumors of Costner leaving the hit show all began when Deadline reported that showrunner Taylor Sheridan and Paramount were "in talks" with A-list actor Matthew McConaughey for a potential new spinoff. What, in hindsight, seemed like exciting news was actually deemed to be more of a solution to issues regarding Costner's shooting schedule.

Costner was in the works of directing and starring in Horizon—a multi-part western film—which was apparently the very thing slowing down Sheridan and the rest of the crew.

Sheridan essentially confirmed the news himself when he discussed the situation for the first time back in June 2023.

“I’m disappointed,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

So... what is the truth? There's no word on whether or not Costner and Sheridan have spoke recently. Which makes it unclear if something happened behind-the-scenes for Costner to make his recent statements to Entertainment Tonight.

Is Matthew McConaughey replacing Kevin Costner on 'Yellowstone'?

While he won't be replacing Costner, the exciting rumors of a new Yellowstone spinoff featuring McConaughey have been confirmed, according to an interview with the head of Paramount Media Network and the The Hollywood Reporter. McConaughey will be starring in a series that continues on the story of the Dutton ranch in Yellowstone, and will be joining the ranks of other popular spinoffs, like 1883 and 1923.

What can we expect for the future of 'Yellowstone'?

It's confirmed that Yellowstone will wrap up season 5 part 2, with or without Costner. It's reported that the show will premiere in November of 2024.

There are also two new spinoffs in the works, titled 1944 and 2024—though it's unclear if either of these will be the project starring McConaughey.

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