Still holding out hope that Kevin Costner might return to “Yellowstone?” Let John Dutton set the record straight.
Costner, who starred in the hit Paramount series for five seasons, revealed on social media that his time with “Yellowstone” is officially over. Amid the release of his film “Horizon: An American Saga,” the actor-director said on Instagram late Thursday, “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue.”
The Oscar winner, 69, put to rest speculation about a return more than a year after news of his departure broke. Reports about Costner’s exit first surfaced in February 2023, but the actor only confirmed the end of his “Yellowstone” ride in September during a Santa Barbara hearing for his divorce from Christine Baumgartner. At the time he mentioned negotiation issues with the studios behind the beloved series.
In May 2023, Paramount announced that the blockbuster series was to end, with its episodes split into two batches. Costner says now that a return for “season 5B or into the future” is unlikely.
“Yellowstone,” created by Taylor Sheridan, premiered in 2018 and became a blockbuster series for the network. Costner starred as the Dutton family patriarch who owns Montana’s largest ranch. In 2023, he earned a Golden Globe award for his performance. At the beginning of his Instagram video, Costner told fans said “Yellowstone” is a “beloved series that I love, that I know you love.”
He added: “It was something that really changed me. I loved it and you loved it and I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning.”
Costner released his statement as he promotes “Horizon,” which was reportedly one reason he decided to leave “Yellowstone. Last year, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Costner and Sheridan were at odds over the former’s “Horizon” schedule and how it allegedly complicated his “Yellowstone” commitments.
“His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus,” Sheridan told the Hollywood Reporter last June. “I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
“Horizon: An America Saga,” the first in a four-film series, makes its theatrical bow June 28.
