Summary
Kevin Costner offers high praise forYellowstone, despite having left the show. Created by prolific Western genre creator Taylor Sheridan,Yellowstonestarred Costner in the main role of John Dutton until the actor announced his departure from the series. Continuing without Costner,Yellowstonereturns for season 5, part 2in November of this year.Yellowstoneseason 5, part 2 will see the return of many cast members, including Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, and Cole Hauser.
Speaking on theArmchair Expertpodcast, Costner reflects on the reasons why he took onYellowstoneoriginally. Upon reading the show’s initial script,the actor “just believed in the world.”He went on to praise Sheridan specifically, saying that he “has a great ear” and “wrote that stuff really authentically” for the show. Costner then sought to doYellowstone“the best [he] could possibly do it.” Check out the full quote from Costner below:
Yellowstone was just a really great script. I just believed in the world, I knew it was a soap opera. I knew we should all be in jail. We’ve all killed people there, and so you throw logic out the window, right, a little bit.
[Sheridan] has a great ear, and he just wrote that stuff really authentically, and it was good fun. And he wrote my part especially well and Kelly [Reilly]’s part. So listen, I had a lot of fun with it. It was really good, I recognized that, so I did it the best I could possibly do it.
Costner’s Departure from Yellowstone Explained
Will Costner Return To The Popular Series?
Though this quote shows that Costner has a love forYellowstone, this admiration was not enough to keep him on the project. WhenYellowstonewas attempting to shoot the latter half of season 5, Costner attempted to negotiate down his number of filming days to a lower number to give room for him to pursue another project, theHorizonmovies. These films are Costner’s passion project, andhe decided to abandon his tenure onYellowstonein favor of the other project.
Since leavingYellowstone,Costner has been open to returning toYellowstone. Back in April, the John Dutton actor said he would like to return toYellowstone, but he and the team have not been able to make it work yet. This implied that the actor was open to returning, despite the contract disputes that reportedly caused tension on the set ofYellowstone. WithYellowstoneseason 5, part 2 arriving relatively soon, it seems unlikely that John Dutton will return.
The actor’s most recent comments aboutYellowstoneare another positive sign that he could returnin future iterations of the series. Several of the main actors from the series are reportedly returning for theYellowstonespinoff sequel series2024, ostensibly giving the series more seasons. This expansion brings the opportunity for Costner to return to the series, especially given the actor’s continued positive opinion towardsYellowstone.
Yellowstone
Cast
Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by patriarch John Dutton, as they defend their expansive ranch against external threats from land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park. Released on June 10, 2025, this series examines the complex dynamics and violent conflicts surrounding the largest contiguous ranch in the United States.
