The scrapped Yellowstone season 6 would have featured a new addition to the Dutton family. The show follows the family attempting to protect their Montana ranch from interested parties, including patriarch John Dutton III (Kevin Costner), and his children, Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reilly), and Jamie (Wes Bentley). After a failed contract negotiation, it was announced that Kevin Costner would not be returning for season 5 part 2, which will now be the final set of episodes for the flagship show.
Taste of Country conducted an interview with country musician Cory Asbury, who had previously revealed that he had been considered for a role in season 6 before Yellowstone season 5 part 2 was announced as the show’s ending. When pressed on the matter, he revealed that the role he was circling was playing “Kayce’s long-lost brother.” He says he was prepared to move to Montana to play the role, and he was “so bummed when it was cancelled.” Read his full quote below:
I was fired up about it and so bummed when it was cancelled. So bummed. I was supposed to be Kayce’s long-lost brother. We were gonna move to Montana for a full year. We were ready … [my wife] Anna gave me the OK and our kids were like, “OK, cool, we’ll live in Montana.”
Could Kayce’s Long-Lost Brother Return in the Yellowstone Universe?
Considering the time commitment Asbury was being asked for, it seems that Kayce’s long-lost brother would have been an important character who would have impacted Yellowstone’s Dutton family in a major way. While other shows cast musicians for one-off cameos, this show and its spinoffs have made a habit of giving them major roles. In fact, Luke Grimes himself is a musician. The prequel show 1883 also gave a lead role to country music legend Tim McGraw.
Given how important his character seemed to be, it’s possible that Asbury could still make his way into the Yellowstone cast in some way, shape, or form. While the flagship show is ending, there are multiple prequels and spinoffs still on the docket, in addition to the already-aired prequels 1883 and 1923. These upcoming shows include a Yellowstone sequel that is set to star Matthew McConaughey and take place in 2024, which is a timeline that season 6 probably would have taken place in regardless.
Ultimately, it seems that the only impediment to Asbury playing a major role in Yellowstone is the star and his family’s willingness to commit to relocation. Because they’d already said yes to the idea once, it seems possible that they would again. If not, the character of Kayce’s brother could still appear to shake up the show’s dynamic, possibly played by a different actor.