Imagine an alternate timeline in which Game of Thrones season 5 is briefly overturned because Jon Snow actor Kit Harington fell out with the showrunners. The series simply ends and Jon doesn’t appear in the final episodes at all. The reality of the currently most successful drama series on US television looks similar: Yellowstone.
The drama surrounding Kevin Costner and Yellowstone explained in brief
The western drama, starring Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves), became a ratings hit and spawned several spin-offs. Then things crumbled behind the scenes. Costner used the Yellowstone fame to create his multi-part dream project Horizon. However, this got in the way of filming his series.
Paramount
Yellowstone
Disputes over Costner’s fee and creator/writer Taylor Sheridan’s creative control ensued. Without further ado, Sheridan announced this End of Yellowstone after Season 5 and a sequel of sorts with new star Matthew McConaughey.
The problem: Season 5 is still being filmed. With Costner or without Costner?
These are the latest developments in the Yellowstone drama
The fifth and final season of Yellowstone consists of two halves. The first is currently running in the States, and the final six episodes will bury the series in November 2024.
Paramount
Yellowstone
In these final episodes, Kevin Costner’s family head John Dutton should “much rarer” be seen than before. That was the compromise between studio, star and creator.
Journalist Matthew Belloni recently reported that a momentous step is being taken. On his industry podcast The Town, he explained:
According to my knowledge becomes [Costner] don’t appear at all in these episodes.
So Yellowstone could ride off into the sunset without the show’s star, a challenge even for a resourceful screenwriter like Taylor Sheridan.
Why the hard step is realistic
Costner had already announced in September that that he might go to court over the Yellowstone ending. As Slash Film notes, it would therefore be logical for the series creators to end their collaboration with him completely.
Meanwhile, Kevin Costner continues working on Horizon: An American Saga. The Hollywood star wants to make a total of four Western epic films, two of which have already been shot. The saga, which takes place before and after the American Civil War, starts in the USA in June and August 2024.
You can stream Yellowstone in Germany on Paramount+.
*This link to Paramount+ is an affiliate link. By taking out a subscription via this link you support Moviepilot. .