The first season of Yellowstone will be rerun on CBS starting tonight, and that will likely spark additional interest in the modern Western drama series. The first half of the fifth season has aired on Paramount Network, and the second half has been stalled due to the actors and writers strikes, as well as a dispute with its star, Kevin Costner. The latter was likely a contributing factor to the very popular show’s cancellation by Paramount.
Starring Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Brecken Merrill, Forrie Smith, Denim Richards, Ian Bohen, Finn Little, Ryan Bingham, Gil Birmingham, Mo Brings Plenty, Wendy Moniz, Jen Landon, Kathryn Kelly, the Paramount Network drama follows the Dutton family of Montana, the owners of the Yellowstone ranch.
More has come to light about the behind-the-scenes drama. Costner has spoken about the series during his divorce proceedings, and previous reports revealed that the actor did try to work things out with Paramount and series creator Taylor Sheridan.
A new report from Puck reveals that the actor really wanted to come back to the series, and he and his representatives tried to work things out for the second half of season five and the potential sixth and seventh seasons.
Sheridan had already written season 5B without Costner’s John Dutton but was willing to rewrite scripts to add him back in after the WGA strike ended. Sheridan and Costner had a call to try to work things out, and the actor reportedly wanted more money (he supposedly already makes $1.3 million an episode), a reduced shooting schedule, and the right to review and veto every Yellowstone script. The series creator, who writes the scripts himself, reportedly balked at that last demand, and negotiations ended sometime later.
It’s unknown how Costner’s John Dutton will be written out of the show, but the actor will have his say about it. He supposedly has a “moral death” clause in his current contract that lists, in general terms, the ways that the character can and cannot be killed off, including deaths that would cause shame and embarrassment to John Dutton and, implicitly, to Costner and his family.
Sheridan is looking ahead to an untitled Yellowstone spin-off series that will likely include some cast members from the original show and star Matthew McConaughey, though he hasn’t signed on yet.
What do you think? Are you surprised by these new Yellowstone developments? Were you hoping for more of the drama?
