‘Yellowstone’: Paramount Network Exec Weighs in on Kevin Costner Return Chances

Yellowstone is in chaos, and it’s not all playing out in the show. Kevin Costner’s future on the show remains a mystery, but Paramount Network is “confident” that he will be back whenever cameras resume rolling. The show’s uncertain future was at the center of a PaleyFest panel in Los Angeles on Saturday night, with both Costner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan missing.

“What I can say is our star, the face of our show, and the executive producer, are very confident he’s going to continue with our show,” Keith Cox, president of development and production at Paramount Network, said Saturday at the Dolby Theatre, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Costner and Sheridan had the opportunity to set the record straight themselves, but they both skipped the event, which hundreds of Yellowstone fans attended. They thought they would see Costner, Sheridan, and actors Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, Jacki Weaver, and executive producer David Glasser. Instead, Cox was only joined by actors Moses Brings Plenty, Dawn Olivieri, Josh Lucas and Wendy Moniz.

On the red carpet before the event, Plenty told THR he was “not worried about anything” because the “right people” are behind the series. “Kevin is very much a big part of the show and hopefully will continue to be for a very long time,” Plenty said. Plenty plays Mo, Chief Rainwater’s driver/bodyguard, on the series.

Oliveri, who joined Season 5 as corporate shark Sarah, said she had full trust in Sheridan to work things out. She previously worked in 1883, playing Claire Dutton in the prequel series. “I believe Taylor to write the rollercoaster, I can trust him to do that,” Oliveri said. “Because why else are you writing? Are you writing so that everyone feels happy, and they feel good about what you’ve just done to them? That’s not why we watch Taylor Sheridan things. We watch it because we go [gasps] ‘I can’t believe that just happened. How could he do that?’”

The first half of Yellowstone Season 5 ended on Jan. 1, with the second half presumed to be airing later this year. However, it has still not begun filming. In February, reports surfaced that Paramount may scrap the show over the scheduling conflicts with Costner, who reportedly only offered to work a week on the new episodes. There were also reports that Matthew McConaughey was linked to a Yellowstone spinoff from Sheridan. Costner’s demand for a lighter workload is reportedly tied to his work on his multi-part Western film Horizon.

“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone, and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,” Paramount Network said in response to the reports. “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”

“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 litigator, Marty Singer, told Puck News in February. “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.”