The second half of the fifth and final season of Yellowstone (or season 5, part 2, if you prefer) will premiere on the Paramount network in November 2024, but those final episodes weren’t originally meant to be the end of the series. Kevin Costner, who played John Dutton, leaving Yellowstone because the filming schedule clashed with his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga, led Paramount to cancel the show but had the series continued to season 6, we might have seen the introduction of a long-lost Dutton brother.
Christian musician Cory Asbury told Taste of Country that he had actually been cast in Yellowstone, with the expectation that he would have been featured in season 6. “I was fired up about it and so bummed when it was canceled,” Asbury said. “So bummed.” The musician told the Dutton Rules podcast that he was “supposed to be Kayce’s long-lost brother. We were gonna move to Montana for a full year. We were ready… Anna [his wife] gave me the OK and our kids were like, ‘OK, cool, we’ll live in Montana.’“
Cory Asbury had expected to meet up with Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, as well as series co-creator Taylor Sheridan, but that never came to pass once the series was canceled. However, even though Yellowstone will come to a close, it won’t be the end of the Dutton family saga, not by a long shot. There’s plenty for Yellowstone fans (and Yellowstone cast members) to look forward to. The franchise will continue with a modern-day Yellowstone spinoff / sequel 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, and Lawmen: Bass Reeves might be considered part of the franchise as well. We’ll still find out what’s next for Beth (Kelly Reilly), Jamie (Wes Bentley), and the others.
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.“