Kevin Costner's return in Yellowstone season 5 part 2 remains in doubt as production nears

Months away from the start of filming the final episodes of Yellowstone, Kevin Costner's return as John Dutton in Yellowstone season 5 part 2 is still in doubt.

Ian Bohen, who stars as Ryan in the hit series, recently revealed production on the new season will start in May or June with a premiere sometime in November or December. That's in line with what we've seen and heard from other cast members. Bohen also revealed that there will be six eisodes in the final half of the season.

Still, it's unclear what's next for Costner, the star of Yellowstone, but it's not looking good.

Kevin Costner likely won't be in Yellowstone season 5 part 2

There's been a lot reported about Costner's feud with Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, after Costner tried to get out of his contract to write, direct, and star in Horizon: An American Saga film series. They couldn't come to an agreement, which led to the issue being decided in the courts, which is always less than stellar.

During the summer of 2023, Costner's divorce proceedings revealed the actor had already left his Yellowstone contract, and his income was going to be smaller than what he was paid the previous year because of his regular work on Yellowstone.

It's already been reported from several outlets that Costner is out for Yellowstone season 5 part 2, meaning we've seen the last of John Dutton in the series. According to a report from Town and Country, it's looking very unlikely that Costner will appear in the final episodes of the series. The report cites insider Matt Beloni who made the comments on a podcast episode of The Town in November.

"The scripts are already written, I’m told, or are being written, and the question is whether Costner is in those final episodes of this season of Yellowstone. And my understanding is that, as of now, he is not going to be in those episodes."

Since then, things haven't gotten better. According to a report from Puck, Costner tried to return for season 5 part 2, but he had another disagreement over how his character would leave or the show would end with creator and executive producer Taylor Sheridan.

As it stands, Costner likely will not return as John Dutton in Yellowstone season 5 part 2 unless they're able to work out a way for it to happen before filming ends.

As Bohen noted, production should start this spring and last through the summer with the premiere in November or December.

Sheridan, Costner, and Paramount have yet to officially declare Costner out for the final episodes of the series. It's hard to say if all three parties have ruled it out yet. There's still a chance, although a slim one, that some agreement could be made to bring back Costner for a small role or something like that.

Sheridan, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, revealed that part of the sticking point seems to be about John Dutton's end on Yellowstone.

"I don’t do f***-you car crashes Whether Dutton’s fate inflates Costner’s ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling. "

Puck also noted that Costner's contract includes a "moral death" clause, which limits how the character can be killed off.

It all seems very weird and honestly a little too dramatic for this show. Let's just figure it out or don't.

We'll let you know what's next for Costner and if he'll be in the final episodes of Yellowstone. Stay tuned for more information.