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Is Kevin Costner returning for Yellowstone season 5 part 2?

Here's everything we know about whether Kevin Costner will return in Yellowstone season 5 part 2, to end John Dutton's ranching tale.

Will Kevin Costner be in Yellowstone season 5 part 2? Kevin Costner as John Dutton

Will Kevin Costner return for Yellowstone season 5 part 2? Yellowstone fans are still adjusting to the news that it’s ending, set to be replaced by a sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey. It was all down to Kevin Costner, who plays patriarch and head rancher John Dutton, announcing his exit.

It’s major news for Yellowstone, one of the best TV series around, and puts Yellowstone season 5 part 2 in serious doubt. Not only that, but the cancellation will have wide-ranging impacts on the broader Yellowstone timeline and Yellowstone cast. So, amid all the turmoil, let’s establish what we know about the main man and whether he’ll see things out.

Is Kevin Costner returning for Yellowstone season 5 part 2?

It hasn’t been confirmed whether or not Kevin Costner will return for Yellowstone season 5 part 2, but rumors suggest he won’t be back.

We already know Costner is leaving Yellowstone at some point, but for months, reports have suggested that Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan have been locked in a dispute about production schedules when it comes to season 5 part 2.

The most recent rumor comes from Hollywood insider Matt Belloni, who suggested on his podcast, The Town, that Costner would not be returning to finish up the show.

“Yellowstone will probably go back into production at the beginning of the year,” he said. “So it could be out this spring or summer. Scripts are already written, I’m told, or are being written. And the question is whether Costner is in those final episodes of this season of Yellowstone. And my understanding is that, as of now, he is not going to be in those episodes.”

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We really, really hope this isn’t true. Frankly, if John Dutton isn’t in it, we’d be losing one of the biggest appeals of the series. If this apparent issue between Costner and Sheridan hasn’t been resolved (now: brace yourselves Yellowstoners), then it stands to reason that, indeed, Costner won’t return for the final episodes.

That opens the door to an off-screen death or a similar fate. It would be a headache for those figuring out the Yellowstone season 5 plot, which will be busy laying the groundwork for the McConaughey sequel series.

Of course, there is a more optimistic outcome in which Costner does return to wrap up the series, and we’re all crossing our fingers for this so that the drama series can end on a high — albeit a premature one.

That’s all we know about Kevin Costner’s return for Yellowstone season 5, part 2. It’s all up in the air, and we’ll keep on bringing you updates as we get them.

For more on Costner’s world of Cowboys, check out our guides to the 6666 release date or the 1923 season 2 release date. You can also see what we think will happen with our predictions for John Dutton’s fate. Or, check out the chances of there being a Yellowstone season 6.

Plus, you can take a look at all that’s new on Paramount Plus (Yellowstone’s home network) this month in our guide. Finally, if you need more Kevin Costner in your life, he’s got a new movie in the works called Horizon. Here’s everything we know about the Horizon release date.