Yellowstone star Wes Bentley has imagined what the show would be like without Kevin Costner

Just days after a new report that Yellowstone could end after Season 5 amid behind-the-scenes drama with Kevin Costner, one of his co-stars, Wes Bentley, admitted that he had imagined what the show would be like without him.

The 44-year-old actor, who plays Jamie Dutton, the adopted son of Costner’s John Dutton III, appeared at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) TV Festival.

Last week’s report claimed that Costner only wanted to shoot for 65 days for Season 5, 50 of which he wanted to shoot in the first half of Season 5.

However, for the second half of season 5, Costner reportedly only wanted to film for a week, and Paramount Network turned down Costner’s proposal and they will now move on to a different show starring Matthew McConaughey, although it’s unclear how that would be done. relate to Yellowstone.

While Bentley did not specifically address the report, he did say tv line that he has actually considered the possibility of what the show would look like without Costner since the first season.

“I thought about this in Season 1, because it’s always a possibility on TV, right? We’re always ready to die… [And John] He really has this hypnotic attraction to Jamie,’ Bentley said.

Bentley speculated that if Costner’s John Dutton had somehow been killed off in the first season, Jamie “would have been completely lost”. Maybe a part of him was desperate trying to take care of the ranch.

I really think he means what he says. He would feel that burden and maybe panic,” Bentley added.

Now, however, after his father was elected governor of Montana, Jamie would feel something completely different.

“After John ran for governor and became what he said he hated, Jamie started to have a change of perspective,” Bentley added.

‘Maybe John isn’t the tough guy he claims to be. Maybe John has no ideas. He maybe he’s just another guy like the rest of them,” the actor continued.

Bentley added, “the pedestal” that Jamie put his father on is no longer there, adding, “The deity is gone.” I think that’s why Jamie chooses to try to get himself killed. [He realizes that his] life would be so much better without him, which is a big change for Jamie.’

After Deadline’s initial report, a Paramount representative would not confirm the news in a carefully worded statement.

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

“Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions to this amazing world she has built,” the statement continued.

“Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent that we would love to partner with,” the statement concluded.

The first half of Yellowstone season 5 debuted in mid-November, and the eight-episode series wrapped up on New Year’s Day.

A preview of the second half of Season 5 revealed that it will debut in the summer of 2023, though no specific premiere date was given.

The series has also spawned several current and future spin-offs, including the ten-episode episode 1883 starring Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, which premiered in December 2021.

The second spin-off titled 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, debuted in December 2022 and will conclude its first season at the end of February.

The network has already ordered a second season, with another spin-off, 1944, already in the works.