Kevin Costner is not coming back to Yellowstone, and based on his most recent comments, he’s done talking about why. With the final episodes of Yellowstone’s fifth season officially on the 2024 TV schedule, and its former lead actor’s Horizon films coming out this summer, they’re both chugging forward. And after seeing the John Dutton actor clap back at a question from Gayle King about the alleged drama that led to his departure, I think it’s time we all chug forward too.
Considering Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 will be released this weekend, the actor has been doing press for it left and right. This also means he’s being asked about Yellowstone and all the alleged drama between him and the show’s creator Taylor Sheridan. While he was on CBS Mornings, Gayle King didn’t hold back in asking him about everything that went down, and he made it clear that it wasn’t up for deep discussion, take a look:
Kevin Costner directed, wrote, produced and starred in the new Western film, “Horizon: An American Saga.”He sat down with @gayleking last week to discuss his most ambitious project yet: “It’s going to be really not business as usual.” pic.twitter.com/yV5FAWGcx0June 27, 2024
I can’t say it’s shocking that the Horizon director reacted this way. Over the course of the last year, he’s stayed pretty quiet about what led to his ultimate departure from the Yellowstone cast, and when he has said something he’s kept it diplomatic and he hasn’t really mentioned any specific disputes between him and Taylor Sheridan.
Over the last few months, Costner’s comments about Yellowstone have alluded to the idea that he would consider coming back as John Dutton. He kept that mentality in this most recent interview. After King asked him about all the dramatic press and rumors surrounding him and Taylor Sheridan, he said he wouldn’t be discussing those matters. However, he also reiterated the point he’s been making about not closing the door completely, as he said:
Well, this isn't therapy Gayle. We're not going to discuss this on the show, really. I mean honestly, I've conducted my life in a pretty straight-forward way. I've never missed any obligations in my entire career. So, the idea is wide open for me. It just happens to be, can I fall in love with the writing? Can I fall in love with the part that wants to go forward?
When the Dances with Wolves director officially announced that he wouldn’t be returning to the Paramount show on Instagram, he said he “realized” he “wouldn’t be able to continue,” and he didn’t elaborate beyond that. He then made it very clear during this interview that the specific details of why he decided not to return to Yellowstone are not something he’ll be discussing right now.
Overall, Kevin Costner seems ready to move forward, and he won’t be getting specific about Yellowstone.
It became clear to me that he wouldn’t be returning to Taylor Sheridan’s show when Yellowstone and Horizon – Chapter 3 went into production around the same time. Scheduling issues reportedly are at the root of the issues that led to Costner’s departure, and the fact that both projects are shooting right now and the actor is also promoting his Western film on the 2024 movie schedule, shows us that his returning as John Dutton would be logistically challenging at best.
Now, both Kevin Costner and Yellowstone are moving forward and in different directions. Taylor Sheridan’s drama is set to return on November 10, and it will be interesting to see how the show addresses the absence of its lead actor. Meanwhile, Chapter 1 of Costner’s Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga – which CinemaBlend’s review gave 4.5 out of 5 stars to while other critics had mixed reactions to the first of four films – hits theaters this weekend, with Chapter 2 slated to come out on August 16.
If Kevin Costner, Taylor Sheridan or anyone involved with Yellowstone say anything more specific about what led to the former lead actor’s departure, we’ll let you know. However, based on his answer to Gayle King about it, I highly doubt we’ll hear anything more elaborate about this situation.
