The debate about whether Kevin Costner will return for the final episodes of Yellowstone rages on. Reports have been suggesting that the John Dutton actor might be leaving the Western for well over a year now, and to this day, we don’t really know if the actor will be back. Now, he’s spoken out about his future and his willingness to collaborate with Taylor Sheridan on other projects someday. However, when it comes to the Oscar winner returning to the flagship Dutton drama specifically, the future still looks bleak.
What Kevin Costner Said About Working With Taylor Sheridan Again
Kevin Costner is in the midst of promoting his two-part project on the 2024 movie schedule, Horizon: An American Saga. On this trail, he’s of course been asked about his future on Yellowstone, and the actor has been fairly open about what he doesn’t know about Season 5 and his willingness to work with Taylor Sheridan again. The most recent example of this came from EW, as the director/actor said:
He’s doing special work in a lot of different ways. He’s very prolific about the things he does, and if he sees me in something that he wants to do, I’ll look at it just the way I did Yellowstone and maybe we will end up doing something together. He likes a lot of the things that I like, and the idea of us working together is not out of the question for me. The subjects he chooses are very interesting to me. I like a lot of that stuff.
This goes along with comments Costner made about Yellowstone and Sheridan about a month ago. He’s been clear about wanting to do more of the modern Western, saying he’d “love to do it.” However, he also said what happens to his character is up to Sheridan, not him. To this point, the Dances with Wolves star continued speaking with EW:
Yellowstone stands as something that could continue. But that is a Taylor question. But other things that he’s doing I think are really, really good. He likes the same subjects that I do.
On the list of things to watch like Yellowstone, you’ll find other works from Sheridan and Costner. So, it tracks that their similar tastes would bring them back together again. However, while there may be light at the end of that collaboration tunnel, I’m not so sure if John Dutton’s tunnel is looking as bright.
Why Kevin Costner’s Future On Yellowstone Still Looks Bleak
Yes, we should note the optimism in Costner’s quotes, and we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility that he could show up in one of Sheridan’s upcoming projects. However, when it comes to Yellowstone, I think present-day John Dutton coming back is highly unlikely. This is all based on what the lead actor and the rest of the Yellowstone cast have said about what they know about Season 5.
Currently, we’re expecting the final episodes of the megahit Western to premiere late on the 2024 TV schedule. At this point, Costner said he hasn’t talked to Sheridan about the show – verbatim, he told EW “No, we haven’t [talked].” – and considering the fact that production is supposed to start soon that’s not an encouraging update.
Along with that, Josh Lucas has spoken with Sheridan about coming back as young John Dutton, and Ryan actor, Ian Bohen made a bold claim about Yellowstone’s series finale while explaining that he knows the general direction the show is headed. Both these actors, who have supporting roles in this show, know more about Season 5B than Costner seems to.
On top of that, Luke Grimes spoke about Costner, saying it’s “unfortunate” that his on-screen dad might not be coming back.
All-in-all these comments add up to a bleak outlook for Kevin Costner’s involvement in the final episodes of Yellowstone. However, of course, anything is possible, and we really won’t know what’s going on or if he’ll be back until it’s either directly confirmed or the show premieres and present-day John Dutton is either there or not.
As we learn more about Kevin Costner and his future on Yellowstone, we’ll keep you posted. To go back and see him as John Dutton, you can stream Taylor Sheridan’s Western with a Peacock subscription.