Why Kevin Costner Left YELLOWSTONE
By Movieguide® Contributor
When Kevin Costner left YELLOWSTONE, Paramount announced the series would end, but fans were never told why—until now. Costner revealed last Friday that he left because of pay, creative and schedule issues.
On September 1, Costner confessed why he left the show during a divorce hearing.
“According to reporters present at the trial, Costner said: ‘There were issues about creative. I tried to break the logjam. They walked away.’ He is believed to have said he will ‘probably go to court’ over the matter,” Independent reported.
“I couldn’t help them anymore. We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons…” Costner also said during the hearing.
Several sources have reported that the schedule conflicts Costner referred to have to do with a western the actor is making called HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA.
“Costner is in the process of making HORIZON, a Western saga that is set to play out over the course of four separate films. He first began work on the project in 1988, envisioning it as a single movie,” Parade reported in July.
Paramount announced in May 2023 that season 5 of YELLOWSTONE would be its last. The final season’s Part 2 is expected to premiere this November.
However, the show’s creator and showrunner, Taylor Sheridan, is not ready for the series to end. Deadline announced that Sheridan will make a YELLOWSTONE spin-off series with some of the original cast. Matthew McConaughey is anticipated to play the lead, though it is yet to be officially confirmed.
Movieguide® published a review of YELLOWSTONE Season 5: Episode 1. An excerpt reads:
Episode One of YELLOWSTONE’s fifth season has high production values. The writing remains superb. Also, the overall entertainment value has grown with the maturity of the characters and the comfort of the actors in their roles. The first episode of Season Five has a moral, pro-family worldview, with some American, conservative values. The program’s hard-edged humanist overtones are absent, and some characters have become devoted to something other than themselves. However, Episode One of Season Five still has lots of strong foul language. Also, in one of YELLOWSTONE’s many flashbacks, an 18-year-old Beth flashes her cleavage to a bartender to get a martini. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.
