‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Finally Plots Return to Filming

Yellowstone Season 5 will be the end of the road for the hit Paramount Network series, and the show is finally plotting its return to filming. According to Variety, Yellowstone will resume production on the second half of Season 5 in the spring. The announcement comes after the show faced setbacks from the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, as well as casting issues with series star Kevin Costner.

It was previously announced that Yellowstone Season 5 would be the show’s final outing, following the news that series star Coster had quit. However, it was recently reported that Costner “begged” to return to the show. According to Puck News, after Costner walked away, his reps reached out to the network and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan to find out if there was any way he could return. The outlet reported that Costner’s reps were “basically begging” for the actor to be allowed to be allowed to come back to Yellowstone, but it ultimately did not work out.

Over the summer, Sheridan opened up about the recent controversy surrounding the show and even revealed that Costner has had some problems as far back as Season 2. In an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan offered his candid perspective on the show and its inevitable end. During the conversation, an “anonymous claim” came up in which a source had claimed that Costner was unhappy with the direction of his character, John Dutton, and that Sheridan’s reply was encouraging him to “stick to acting.” 

“I never had that conversation with Kevin,” Sheridan told THR. “There was a time in Season 2 when he was very upset and said the character wasn’t going in the direction he wanted. I said, ‘Kevin, you do remember that I told you this is essentially The Godfather on the largest ranch in Montana? Are you that surprised that the Godfather is killing people?’ What he’s clung to is [Dutton’s] commitments to his family and way of life. Dutton’s big failing is not evolving with the times – not finding different revenue streams [for the ranch].” 

“Kevin felt Season 2 was deviating from that, and I don’t know that he was wrong,” Sheridan added. “In Season 3, we steered back into it. And I recall him winning a Golden Globe last year for his performance, so I think it’s working.” Yellowstone will be back to conclude its fifth and final season in November 2024.