Kevin Costner Once Tried to 'Hijack' 1999's 'For the Love of the Game' Over Minor Edits

Kevin Costner has reportedly been feuding with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan over filming for the show's current season, which is rumored to possibly be the last due to Costner's disinterest in continuing his role. Now, a past story has emerged indicating that Costner once tried to "hijack" one of his past movies over some minor edits. The film is 1999's For the Love of the Game, a baseball movie in which Costner played fictional baseball pitcher, Billy Chapel, an aging MLB star who is coming to terms with the end of his sports career.

The issues started just ahead of the movie's release — per The Guardian — when Cosnter spoke with Newsweek and expressed disappointment in Universal Pictures over the finished product. "You feel a studio would want to release the best version of the movie," Costner said at the time, "not the one they think appeals to the biggest common denominator... It's worth fighting for. It's worth protecting. I always feel like these scripts and these movies are like patients that are in comas. There's no one there to talk for them. The love of the movies, I believe, is waning [in Hollywood]."

In response, Universal's then-co-chairman Stacey Snider stated, "Kevin's not the director and it's not fair for him to hijack a $50 million asset. Our feeling is that we have backed the filmmaker, and his name is Sam Raimi, not Kevin Costner." The movie would go on to be considered a box office bomb, only earning $46.1 million against its $50 million budget.

More recently it was reported that Costner is disputing with Yellowstone producers over Season 5 filming, with the actor's lawyer finally speaking out to offer a different perspective from what has been painted in the reports so far. "The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie," Costner's attorney Marty Singer, told Puck exclusively. "It's ridiculous-and anyone suggesting it shouldn't be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success."

The report and official statement came weeks after it was first alleged that Costner was the cause of filming delays on Yellowstone. The show is currently on a Season 5 break and was initially scheduled to return before or by summer 2023. It's not reported that the show may not return until closer to fall 2023, if it returns at all.