Kevin Costner will not return to Yellowstone, after all

The veteran actor Kevin Costner has been part of a lot of drama surrounding his role as John Dutton in the acclaimed Paramount+ series Yellowstone. Trouble began during the filming of the fifth season, with Costner reportedly exiting the show after scheduling conflicts and disagreements with the showrunner.

Yellowstone, which is set to conclude with the second half of its fifth season, was also hanging in jeopardy after the conclusion of its first half. Now, the series has gone back into production.

While fans were going through this roller-coaster of emotions, the Horizon star recently commented that returning to Yellowstone was not off the books yet. But it seems that just days later, the actor has finally made it clear that he will not be a part of the upcoming season 5 part 2, which will end the saga for good.

The announcement came shortly after Yellowstone season 5 got a premiere date after over a year of anticipation. Kevin Costner took to his social media profile and revealed that he is not a part of the final season.

It is yet to be seen how Yellowstone incorporates John Dutton's absence. The series will return on November 10, 2024.

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What did Kevin Costner say about his exit from Yellowstone?

Kevin Costner, who recently directed, produced, and starred in Horizon: An American Saga, a multi-part Western epic, recently revealed that he was not going to come back as John Dutton, despite all the rumors surrounding the same.

The actor posted a video on his Instagram account, where he said:

"I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year-and-a-half of working on Horizon, and doing all the things that that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love…. I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue, Season 5B or into the future."

He went on to add:

"[Yellowstone] was something that really changed me,...I loved it, and I know you loved it, and I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies."

You can check out his video proclamation on his official Instagram handle.

The original disagreement between Paramount and Kevin Costner emerged when he reportedly refused to make space for shooting the episodes due to his commitment to his dream project, Horizon. Things only escalated since then amidst a lot of attention from the media houses. Later, reports of Costner's disagreement with creator Taylor Sheridan also emerged.

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Kevin Costner will soon be seen on the big screen in his Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1, which will premiere theatrically on June 28, 2024. The second chapter of the movie will also premiere weeks later in August 2024.

According to reports, two more chapters of Horizon are under development, making it a four-part epic.

Meanwhile, Yellowstone will return with its final season's final part on November 10, 2024, on Paramount.