Yellowstone will resume production on final episodes next spring, but Kevin Costner won’t be back

Last Updated on November 22, 2023

The first half of the fifth season of Yellowstone debuted more than a year ago, but the industry strikes and the drama revolving around the departure of Kevin Costner pushed back production on the final block of episodes. It was revealed today that Paramount Network will resume production on the final episodes of Yellowstone in late spring 2024.

What does this mean for Kevin Costner? Although it had been announced that Costner would exit the series, it wasn’t entirely a done deal, as the actor was still willing to return for the second half of the fifth season and perhaps even more. However, Deadline says that there are currently no plans for Costner to return for the final episodes, which means fans have likely seen the last of John Dutton.

It was announced two weeks ago that the final episodes of Yellowstone would premiere in November 2024. As we know, the story of the Dutton family will continue with a modern-day spin-off series set to star Matthew McConaughey. A source with knowledge of the new series told Variety that the spin-off, titled 2024, will feature new cast members and locations with some crossover characters. Another prequel spin-off, 1944, was also announced.

Chris McCarthy, President/CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said, “Within five years, we grew Yellowstone from a hit U.S. cable show with five million viewers into a global hit franchise with over 100 million fans around the world and multiple extensions – and, we’re just getting started. On the heels of 1883 and 1923’s success, our new planned spinoffs, 1944 and 2024, will take audiences on a thrilling, new and unexpected journey with the complex and compelling storytelling that has become a hallmark of the franchise and has helped turn it into a worldwide cultural phenomenon – thanks to the creative mastermind of Taylor Sheridan.“

While series co-creator Taylor Sheridan has said that he’s “disappointed” by the exit of Kevin Costner, he’s looking forward to working with Matthew McConaughey. “He seems like a natural fit,” Sheridan said. “We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by ‘that’ he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.’“