Despite his contentious Yellowstone exit, Kevin Costner is not opposed to working with creator Taylor Sheridan again.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Emmy winner, 69, revealed that he and Sheridan, 53, have not talked about wrapping up the popular Western drama, which is now set to end after five seasons. Although the series is scheduled to air the second half of season 5 in November, the actor — who starred as patriarch John Dutton — said the episodes have not been finished.
Although he left Yellowstone on sour terms, Costner is full of praise for the showrunner, who is “doing special work in a lot of different ways” and “very prolific about the things he does.”
“If he sees me in something that he wants to do, I’ll look at it just the way I did Yellowstone and maybe we will end up doing something together,” the two-time Oscar winner said. “He likes a lot of the things that I like, and the idea of us working together is not out of the question for me.”
Whether their collaboration will continue on Yellowstone, however, is “a Taylor question,” according to Costner.
It isn’t the first time the Yellowstone leading man has expressed interest in rekindling ties with the show. Of coming back to his role as John Dutton, Costner told Entertainment Tonight last month, “I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to.”
Costner left the series amid scheduling conflicts with other projects, such as his upcoming two-part Western film Horizon: An American Saga, for which he serves as the star and director. A Deadline report alleged that his divided attention was “a source of frustration for Sheridan.”
ET confirmed in May 2023 that Costner would not return for future seasons of Yellowstone. The same month, Paramount announced that the show’s fifth season would be its last.
Sheridan admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that he was “disappointed” about Costner’s departure, as it “truncates the closure of his character.” In response to rumors of on-set tension, he said: “I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone.”
The Untouchables star spoke out about the controversial exit for the first time in a child support hearing related to his divorce from ex-wife Christine Baumgartner. He cited the decision to split season 5 into two parts as a factor in his choice to leave, as well as insufficient pay.
Costner said on the stand that he made one last effort to renegotiate, telling his representatives, “‘Have them pay me whatever number.’ We came up with a number, and they [Yellowstone] walked away.” He added that he believed the amount was $12 million.
