Yellowstone‘s future continues to be uncertain as a new report surrounding the upcoming spinoff hints at trouble behind the scenes when it comes to salary and legacy stars Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes.
In a newsletter from Puck, it’s being revealed that there’s been a months-long back-and-forth over whether the trio will return for the upcoming series when Yellowstone wraps its second half of Season 5 later this year. This salary debate comes on the heels of Yellowstone lead Kevin Costner‘s dispute with showrunner Taylor Sheridan, in which he complained that script delays were impeding on the production schedule of his two-part Western epic Horizon.
Ultimately, Sheridan wrote Costner out of the second half of Yellowstone‘s fifth and final season. While it’s unclear if anything has changed since then, it’s being reported that Hauser, Reilly, and Grimes are seeking a pay raise should they return for the anticipated spinoff rumored to feature Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer.
While the report from Puck notes that the trio from the flagship weren’t originally intended to feature in the spinoff, their presence would be a good way to ease fans into the new story set at the same time. With this in mind, Reilly and Hauser are reportedly seeking upwards of $1 million per episode with Grimes taking a more laid-back approach.
Considering the appeal of Hauser and Reilly reprising their roles as Rip and Beth, their inclusion in a spinoff would seem like a slam-dunk for success, but negotiations have continued to unravel. According to Puck, Reilly initially sought $1.5 million per episode but has come down to $1.2 with Hauser requesting $1.25 million.
The catch is the stars of Yellowstone are contractually obligated to be paid for a sixth season that isn’t happening. Should they sign on for the spinoff, the dispute lies in whether the pay they’d get for that non-existent sixth season would go toward the spinoff, or whether they’d get that pay in addition to a spinoff salary.
Stay tuned for any possible casting updates as negotiations on the Yellowstone spinoff continue, and let us know your thoughts on the original cast’s possible inclusion in the follow-up in the comments section, below.
Yellowstone, Season 5, Part 2, Premieres November, Paramount Network