Kevin Costner is not coming back Yellowstone after season 5, according to a report by Entertainment tonight. The star that helped turn Yellowstone in a phenomenon, will reportedly leave the series after the season that is currently in production.
This reported split comes after months of rumors and reports of feuds behind the scenes of one of the most popular programs on television. According to reportsseries co-creator Taylor Sheridan was concerned about Costner’s commitment to filming Yellowstone‘s fifth season.
Part 1 of YellowstoneThe fifth season of ‘s has already aired, but the second half is not yet complete and has no release date yet – and according to Entertainment Tonight, it’s unclear when the cast and crew will even get back to work on the new episodes. One of the rumors about Costner’s commitment to film part 2 of the season was that he only made himself available for one week of filming, something Costner’s attorney denied.
Despite Costner’s undeniable star power and his key role in getting Yellowstone from the ground, the series, and Taylor Sheridan’s larger TV empire, has since gone far beyond its original star. The Yellowstone universe alone has five spin-off series to date, starring the likes of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, with more to come, including one series starring Matthew McConaughey.
But with production ground to a halt on the second part of Season 5, it remains to be seen what Sheridan and his team’s solution will be to cope with Costner’s apparent absence from the Yellowstone universe’s flagship show — or even if that show goes on without his first big star.
Polygon has reached out to representatives from Costner and Paramount for comment and will update this story when they respond.