Yellowstone season 5: Kevin Costner finally explains why he quit the series

Actor has remained silent about quitting TV series – until now

Kevin Costner has shed light on why he dramatically quit Yellowstone.

In May, it was revealed that the hit Paramount series, about a Montana landowner named John Dutton (Costner) and his warring family, will be coming to an end with its fifth and final season this November.

The surprise development came following reports that Costner had locked horns with creator Taylor Sheridan over scheduling conflicts.

While Sheridan said he was “disappointed” with the actor’s decision, Costner has remained silent on the subject – until now.

According to multiple outlets, Costner addressed the Yellowstone debacle while giving testimony at his divorce case on Friday (1 September).

The Dances with Wolves actor-director is reported to have said the situation was “complicated”, and that he “did negotiate” to return for three more seasons.

However, according to reporters present at the trial, Costner said: “There were issues about creative. I tried to break the logjam. They walked away.” He is believed to have said he will “probably go to court” over the matter.

Costner’s scheduling conflicts are believed to have been caused by a passion project he wants to make named Horizon: An American West, which has been 35 years in the making.

Sheridan previously said: “My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. 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.”

Sources claimed to Deadline in February that Costner only wanted to spend a single week shooting his scenes for the second batch of episodes in season five, but his attorney denied the report, saying: “The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of season five of Yellowstone is an absolute lie.”

Kevin Costner in ‘Yellowstone’ (Paramount)

The actor still has half of season five left to shoot, which will serve as a “truncated” end to the Dutton family saga.

Yellowstone airs in the UK on Paramount+. The Independent has contacted Paramount for comment.

Earlier this week, Native American actor Lily Gladstone, who appears in new Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon, criticised Yellowstone, caling it “deplorable” and “delusional”.

Find a timeline of the Costner controversy here.