Kevin Costner is currently directing his new movie, but in the midst of all the excitement, he’s preparing to say goodbye to the Yellowstone Ranch for good. As John Dutton, Costner is the heart and soul of the drama series — but according to Taylor Sheridan, the showrunner of the Western epic, he’s had tense conversations with Paramount about when exactly he can say goodbye to the TV series for good.
“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct,” he recalled in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
So, there’s no doubt we’ll see Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone, but at least it was negotiated in a way that was best for the story. But that doesn’t mean Sheridan isn’t a little, as he puts, it “disappointed.”
“It truncates the closure of his character,” he explained. “It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.” Still, Sheridan insists that his view on Costner’s talent remains unaltered.
“His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful, and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone,” he added. “But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting.”
“He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
For more on Yellowstone, check out our guides to the Yellowstone timeline, Yellowstone season 5 part 2 release date, 1923 season 2 release date, 1923 cast, Yellowstone 6666 release date, and 1883 season 2 release date.