“Yellowstone” could potentially come to an abrupt end over a conflict with series star Kevin Costner and that could lead to a new spinoff series taking place…
It appears “Yellowstone” could be coming to an abrupt end — at least in the current incarnation of the hit series.
According to numerous reports, the show is in jeopardy due to an ongoing conflict with series star Kevin Costner and his shooting schedule, which has caused issues with production on the second half of season 5. Costner’s availability has apparently dwindled in recent months as he continues working on projects outside of “Yellowstone” and it’s made filming incredibly hard on the rest of the cast and crew on the show.
Costner reportedly only wanted to dedicate one week to shooting the second half of the season, which would make it nearly impossible to complete all of his scenes. Costner portrays family patriarch John Dutton and he just recently scored a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role in the series.
If the situation with Costner can’t be resolved — or won’t be resolved — then there’s already talk about a potential “Yellowstone” spinoff that would involved Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey. Discussions with McConaughey have reportedly already started with the spinoff centered around his new character along with cast members from the flagship “Yellowstone” series also continuing to move forward with the show.
After reports surfaced that “Yellowstone” could potentially come to an end as a result of the conflict with Costner, representatives from Paramount issued a statement in an attempt to calm the waters.
“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,” a Paramount Network spokesperson said in a statement. “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
“Yellowstone” has been a massive hit for Paramount as the most watched series on cable the last few years with creator Taylor Sheridan already spinning off multiple prequels based on the original show.
“1883” — a direct sequel to “Yellowstone” — already aired on the Paramount+ streaming service and earned rave reviews and “1923,” which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, is currently airing its first season. “1923” has also been renewed for a second season on Paramount+ with the same cast already set to return.
If the current situation continues, “Yellowstone” could come to an end as quickly as the conclusion of the fifth season, which is set to air in the summer on the Paramount Network. If that happens, the spinoff series starting McConaughey could be the next stage in the “Yellowstone” universe, although it’s unknown about the role he would play, if the show would still be set in Montana or which cast members would remain from the original show.
All signs are pointing towards Sheridan preparing for that contingency plan if the ordeal with Costner can’t be solved and “Yellowstone” in its current form would come to an end.
If there’s one bit of good news for Paramount with all this happening — “Yellowstone” coming to an end but a new spinoff series taking its place while set in the same universe would give the network the chance to own all the streaming rights to the new show. Prior to Paramount launching its own streaming service, a deal was struck for past seasons of “Yellowstone” to air exclusively on Peacock.
That deal would obviously end if “Yellowstone” concludes and then the new spinoff series starring McConaughey would stream exclusively on Paramount+.
It remains to be seen how this will all unfold as television’s most popular series endures some real life drama that could spell the end of “Yellowstone.”
