'Yellowstone': Kevin Costner Reportedly Won't Return to Film Final Episodes

After portraying John Dutton on the popular Western series Yellowstone, Kevin Costner is reportedly walking away from the series before filming the final episodes. As there have been reports that there's been a feud between the actor and creator Taylor Sheridan, via Daily Mail, court documents state that he "doesn't anticipate being on location for at least the rest of 2023." The back half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is set to begin filming sometime in August, which means that it doesn't seem like John Dutton will be coming back.

While it was previously confirmed that Costner was going to return as his beloved Yellowstone character for the final episodes of the Paramount drama, court documents from his divorce proceedings suggest that Costner won't be filming the final episodes. However, due to the ongoing writers' strike, many shows are at a pause in their productions for the upcoming season, with no end in sight. It's possible that depending on when filming can get started, Costner may very well be able to take part in it, but as of now, nothing is confirmed.

Since Yellowstone films in Montana, court documents also state that he has no plans to travel away from California for the remainder of 2023, at least for any projects. Deadline previously reported that Costner wanted to film for just one week for the second half of Season 5, and this was after he shortened his filming schedule during the first half. Like many actors who work on a show for a long time, Costner reportedly wanted to put much of his focus on the film side of his career, especially with his upcoming Western franchise Horizon.

Nothing is confirmed for Costner's involvement in the final episodes, but if the writers' strike doesn't end this summer, then Yellowstone will very likely not start filming again in August. Since it sounds like he didn't have many plans to appear much in the second half of Season 5 anyway, it's also possible that the actor may have changed his mind about appearing in any episodes at all. His story can always wrap up off-screen as well, so there are other possibilities that can happen whether or not Costner continues John's story himself for the end of Yellowstone.

Fans will just have to wait and see what comes about for the final episodes of Yellowstone, as it could still be a while until it premieres. At the very least, all five seasons are streaming on Peacock, so there will be plenty to keep fans occupied until the second half of Season 5 premieres and to get reacquainted with Costner as John Dutton.