R.I.P. John Dutton? Yellowstone rumored to be killing off Kevin Costner’s main character

Just hours after a report claimed that Yellowstone will end after the second half of Season 5, a new report claims the show could still go on…although there are reportedly plans to kill off Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

The report of Showbiz 411 claims Costner’s Dutton “will suffer a similar fate” to that of Brian Cox’s Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession, who was shockingly killed in the third episode of the show’s final season.

The second half of season 5 was set to debut on the Paramount Network this summer, though scheduling conflicts with Costner, 68, have pushed the show to a likely return sometime this fall.

“The whole team is now gathered in Texas trying to figure out how to do it. I’m sure Taylor Sheridan sort of worked it out,” a source claims, adding, “We all knew Kevin was going to leave eventually.”

While the onscreen death isn’t terribly surprising given the months of behind-the-scenes drama, the source also claims the show will continue for at least one more season and won’t be tied to the reported Matthew McConaughey spin-off.

“I think the main show will continue for at least one more season after that, they’ll have to see how it goes. Remember, this isn’t until 2024. A lot can happen,” the source added.

The source also claimed that the McConaughey spin-off will resemble the 1923 Yellowstone prequel and be its own series that doesn’t necessarily have major ties to the flagship series.

Creator Taylor Sheridan still hasn’t indicated when the final episodes of Season 5 of Yellowstone will be filmed.

The behind-the-scenes drama involving Costner and Sheridan first surfaced in an early February report from Deadline, which claimed Costner had originally limited himself to 65 days of filming in the fifth season.

While he spent 50 days filming the first half, the report claimed he only wanted to spend a week filming the back half as he geared up to star and direct his multi-part western epic Horizon for Warner Bros. Pictures, his first directorial effort in 20 years since the 2003 film Open Range.

While Costner himself has not publicly spoken out about the report, his attorney Marty Singer claimed the report was all a lie.

“The idea that Kevin only wanted to work on the second half of season 5 of Yellowstone for one week is an absolute lie,” Singer said.

“It’s ridiculous — and anyone who suggests it should not be believed for a second,” Singer added.

Cole Hauser, who plays cowboy Rip Wheeler on the hit series, indicated in an interview that there will be at least two more seasons of Yellowstone.

‘I can tell you there will be six and there will be a seventh, that’s all I can say. That’s all I can tell you,” Hauser hinted, though Paramount has not confirmed any renewal plans at this time.

Chris McCarthy, the president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, opened up in an extensive interview in The Hollywood Reporterwhere he gave no details, but kept hoping they could keep Costner for more Yellowstone.

“(Yellowstone) wouldn’t be what it is today without Kevin and we hope it stays that way for a long time,” McCarthy said in the interview.

McCarthy’s statement is similar to that of Paramount Network released in early February after the original report.

“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope to be for a long time to come,” the statement began.

“Thanks to Taylor Sheridan’s brilliant mind, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world that he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent who we would love to work with,” the statement said.

While McCarthy didn’t elaborate on Costner’s situation, he did clarify that the project with Matthew McConaughey is still going ahead regardless of Costner’s return.

McCarthy added that the McConaughey project is one of a whopping 10 projects Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has in development at the network.