Kevin Costner Reportedly Wants to Return for Final Season of 'Yellowstone'

Costner as John Dutton in 'Yellowstone'

Well, well, well. Look what we have here. According to a new report from Puck, Kevin Costner would like to return for at least a cameo in the final episodes of Yellowstone, if not a more substantial arc. Problem is, the scripts for the back half of Season 5 have already been written—without a storyline built in for Costner's return as John Dutton. What are the odds showrunner Taylor Sheridan will tear up his pages to accommodate Costner?

Related: Inside 'Yellowstone' Creator Taylor Sheridan's Feuds

Let's think this through. The creative duo's relationship went up in flames for the better part of 2023 due in part to scheduling conflicts (Costner wanted more time to shoot his epic Western Horizon: An American Saga). “Somewhere along the line, they wanted to change things,” Costner said of Yellowstone's production at a divorce hearing in September 2023 [via Deadline]. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B; [it] affected Horizon. I was going to do my movie Horizon and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. ...a show I was only doing once a year, I was now doing twice.”

Related: What We Know About Kevin Costner's Wives, Divorces and Relationships

There were also reported salary disputes and claims that the Oscar-winning star wanted veto power over Sheridan's scripts, an apparent breaking point for the TV mogul.

With all that being the case, it would seem that a truce of sorts would be out of the question.

...But then again, think of the ratings.

It remains to be seen whether Sheridan and Paramount+ will cater to Costner's alleged wish.

Sheridan had previously said that while he was ultimately "disappointed" in Costner's untimely exit, the actor's departure wouldn't change the character trajectory for John Dutton in the series.

"It truncates the closure of his character," Sheridan said. "It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."

Yellowstone's final episodes are slated to start airing in November 2024. The bumpy ride to the finish line continues.

Next, Taylor Sheridan's Ever-Expanding Universe: A Complete List of His Many Paramount Series and Movies