Yellowstone's Kevin Costner Has One Condition To Return As John Dutton. • BrainBurst

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It’s hard to imagine the second half of “Yellowstone” season 5 being any more contentious than it is. Taylor Sheridan’s massively popular Western series ran into trouble after season 5A aired back in 2022. The Hollywood strikes of the following year, combined with star Kevin Costner’s frustration with the shooting schedule meant that “Yellowstone” season 5B became a huge question mark. For Costner’s part, he claimed he was unable to devote his time to the “Horizon” saga, a series of Western films that represented a passion project for the veteran star. Costner, who plays ranch owner John Dutton in “Yellowstone,” claimed he hadn’t received any scripts for season 5B of the show, and therefore chose to depart the series rather than wait around to find out when or if he’d be allowed to shoot the movie, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” which regrettably ended up bombing at the box office.

But Costner’s take was just one side of the story. On the other side, Paramount and Sheridan claimed their star’s commitment to the “Horizon” movies actually made it difficult to plan the second half of “Yellowstone” season 5 and directly contributed to the delays. This protracted shoot-out between the two sides made it clear there was no love lost between them, and it seemed that amid such tumult, Costner’s exit was final — especially after Paramount confirmed that season 5B of “Yellowstone” would constitute the final episodes of the series.

Since then, longtime stars
Paramount

However “Yellowstone” season 5B wraps up, it will be a finale of sorts for the series. Kevin Costner’s exit reportedly won’t change the ending of “Yellowstone,” though, as Taylor Sheridan is said to have known the show was going to run five seasons, and even knew how it would end before the pilot aired. Most fans are expecting the Dutton patriarch to kick the bucket in some way, and with Costner leaving the show behind, that seems like a safe bet — though Sheridan will have to ensure he gives the character a dignified send-off considering Costner had a unique “moral death” stipulation written into his “Yellowstone” contract.

With part two of season