Will Yellowstone work without Kevin Costner’s ‘genius’? The latest on how the actor reportedly feels behind the scenes
Only a few months left until Yellowstonelast episodes met the TV schedule 2024everyone behind the scenes is busting their asses to make sure the second half of Season 5 is perfectly prepared for viewers who have waited two full years for the experience. One face that was not seen during filming in Montana is that of former star Kevin Costner, who apparently isn’t too confident that the western drama will work without the involvement of his “genius.”
Costner’s passionate work on his multi-part border work epos Horizon: An American Saga was the impetus for his decision to leave after YellowstoneThe resumption of production was postponed several times. And although he talked about a possible wish to return if he was welcome again, this never happened, and now it seems as if the Field of Dreams The veteran bets that the mothership will not be able to land in future spin-offs without him.
Accordingly OK MagazineKevin Costner’s allegedly broken relationship with series co-creator Taylor Sheridan has sparked some gloating. An insider claims the actor wouldn’t be too upset if the Paramount Network hit messed up in the final stages. In her words:
It would give him great quiet satisfaction to see these guys fall flat on their faces for even trying to breathe new life into the show that he considers his baby – not theirs.
It is not entirely clear what kind of “fresh life” is being brought to us. YellowstoneThe long-awaited return in November – and that is not the only Question we have about the remaining episodes – but the show definitely needs to explain why Costner’s John Dutton is no longer constantly present with his family members on his own ranch. You might think Sheridan & Co. would just let the character die, but that runs the risk of sending fans into hysteria.
According to the insider Bull Durham Veterinarian does not have much confidence in YellowstoneThe creative team managed to stick the landing without their own input and expertise. As the outlet put it:
Ultimately, Kevin believes that the Yellowstone bosses are running around like crazed headless chickens. His conclusion, as selfish as it may sound, is that without his genius – even at the consulting level – it won’t work.
“Delusional headless chickens” sounds like a horror movie threat to the folks in Paradise Valley, and is certainly a harsh opinion from a former series star about his former employers and colleagues. Granted, any views from an “insider” should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s not like Costner has gone out of his way to praise Taylor Sheridan over the past 18 months since the drama reached its peak.
Even after Costner officially announced his departureand said he would not go back to the North to film for YellowstoneIn the last few episodes, some fans were still hoping and half-assuming that it would happen anyway when cooler heads prevailed. But now that Kelly Reilly announced that she has finished filming are filmed in Montana and scenes are set at the 6666 Ranch in Texas, the fact of John Dutton’s absence is harder to ignore than ever.
will Yellowstones BTS turmoil and extended hiatus really hurt the show’s monumental TV and streaming success, or will viewers continue to tune in greedily to see how the powers that be designed the ending? Considering the franchise already has a new follow-up series starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick J. Adams, the latter definitely seems more likely.
Yellowstone returns to Paramount Network on Sunday, November 10th at 9:00 p.m. ET for the final episodes of the fifth season. All current episodes can be viewed with a Peacock subscription.
