More details emerge regarding the rift between Yellowstone and lead actor Kevin Costner as a new report claims Costner and show creator Taylor Sheridan had major disagreements over creative control.
According to a new Puck newsletter, industry insider Matthew Belloni reports that Costner and Sheridan failed to see eye-to-eye regarding the scripts for Season 5, which is currently on a midseason break. In July, the duo sat down for talks in the hopes Costner would return for Season 5 Part 2 after exiting the series earlier this year. Among Costner’s requests when negotiating with Sheridan was the ability to approve or veto scripts for upcoming episodes.
However, Sheridan, who writes all scripts for Yellowstone on his own, refused. Sheridan has spoken about his desire for “unfettered” creativity and not having a writers’ room, allowing him to best translate his character-driven brand of storytelling on-screen.
Creative control is one of the various issues at the heart of the tension between Costner and Sheridan, with the two also clashing over the former’s salary and recommended scheduling shifts as shooting the series overlapped with his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga. The salary bit could see Costner and the Yellowstone team heading to court. As a result, Belloni claims the two sides are at an impasse, with no clear resolution in sight.
Reports dating back to this past spring have detailed that one of the main reasons Costner exited Yellowstone was due to his conflict with Sheridan. Though Sheridan has played down the issues between himself and Costner and Paramount seemingly confident an agreement could be found, it was confirmed in May that Yellowstone would conclude with Season 5 Part 2, with a sequel series starring Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey set to replace the acclaimed Western drama.
Costner has played Yellowstone’s central character, John Dutton III, since the series’ 2018 inception, starring as the titular owner of Montana’s Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The actor reportedly has a big say in how his John is portrayed in the series, having a “moral death” clause in his contract that dictates how his character dies on the show. Costner won a Best Actor Golden Globe earlier this year for his performance on Yellowstone.
Yellowstone Filming Is On Hold
Filming for Season 5 Part 2 of Yellowstone is on hold due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. In the meantime, Yellowstone is airing reruns of Season 1 this fall via CBS as fans wait for the second half of the show, which was initially scheduled to come out this November, to premiere. Sheridan has hinted that the second half of Season 5 could be longer than the initial episode count promised.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part 1 is available for streaming via Paramount+ and Peacock.