Kevin Costner Open to Returning to ‘Yellowstone’ for Final Episodes, but Only Under ‘Right Circumstances’

“Yellowstone” is currently filming its final episodes without Kevin Costner, who previously starred as John Dutton. Despite this, the Oscar winner has reiterated his openness to returning for the show’s concluding moments, provided the conditions are right. In a recent appearance on “Today” to promote his new film “Horizon,” Costner expressed his desire to return for the second half of “Yellowstone” Season 5.

“I’ve supported and loved that show,” Costner said. “It’s been really important to me. I’d love to return under the right circumstances, which I think is something we all want. For me, it’s crucial that those circumstances are right.”

Costner emphasized that there is always a possibility of his return. “I love the show, and you have to be clear about that,” he stated. He has consistently voiced his interest in wrapping up his character’s arc, having first mentioned his willingness to do so back in April. The fifth and final season of the series was divided into two parts, with the first eight episodes airing in fall 2022, and the final six episodes now in production, set to air starting in November.

“I’d like to be able to do it, but it hasn’t worked out yet,” Costner told Entertainment Tonight previously. “I thought I was going to make seven seasons, but now we’re at five. How it works out, I hope it does, but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will circle back to me. If it does and I’m comfortable with it, I’d love to do it.”

Speculation about Costner’s departure ahead of the final episodes has been rife. In a May interview with GQ magazine, Costner explained that his exit was related to the decision to split Season 5 into two parts. He was committed to working on Season 5 but found the split risky for his passion project, “Horizon.”

“The plan was to do eight episodes now and then eight more in the fall,” Costner recalled. “I said, ‘I have a contract to do “Horizon,” and I have people and money.’ There was a belief that I couldn’t get it done, but I didn’t care what anyone believed.”

Costner noted that scripts for the second half of Season 5 were not provided as his schedule for “Horizon” loomed. This left him with only a week of available time to complete his work on “Yellowstone” before moving on to the other project.

“There was this notion that I only wanted to work one week, which I’ve seen in magazines,” Costner said. “My real disappointment is that Paramount or 101 Studios never defended me or corrected the narrative about what I was willing to do. It’s really bothered me that no one set the record straight.”

In May, Paramount Network announced that production on the final episodes of “Yellowstone” was underway. The filming, originally scheduled for last year, was delayed due to the Hollywood strikes.