Before Season 5 of “Yellowstone” began airing, we knew the final season of the series would be broken up into two parts. However, what fans didn’t expect, especially after the first half of the episodes ended its run on January 1, was that the wait for the final batch of episodes would be this long. Why the final part of the fifth season hasn’t even started filming yet has been the subject of numerous behind-the-scenes reports. Some say Kevin Costner is upset with creator Taylor Sheridan because “Yellowstone” doesn’t have scripts ready yet. Others say that Costner himself is the problem because he’s too focused on his four-film epic, “Horizon,” which he is currently writing and directing. But in a new THR profile, Taylor Sheridan hoped to shed some light on the situation and assure fans that the end of “Yellowstone” isn’t going to be changed because of the Costner drama.
The interview with Sheridan does seem to confirm that a lot of the issues with filming the second half of “Yellowstone” Season 5 comes down to Kevin Costner’s desire for less time on set and more time focused on his “Horizon” films. Sheridan is quick to point out that he is doing everything he can, on his side, to make sure scripts are ready and filming can begin but that the decisions about Costner’s situation are at the studio level. And if anything, all that it means is Costner’s John Dutton character might have a quicker ending than originally planned.
“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” Sheridan explained. “His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
He added, “I’m disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”
So, what’s the ending going to look like? Obviously, Sheridan wasn’t going to give spoilers. That said, the creator of “Yellowstone” assured people that the idea of a “fuck-you car crash” aka a revenge plot point to end John Dutton’s in an insulting way as to give the middle finger to Costner, isn’t going to happen. But that doesn’t mean Sheridan is concerned about how Costner feels regarding the character’s fate.
“I don’t do fuck-you car crashes,” Sheridan said. “Whether [Dutton’s fate] inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.”
Unfortunately, if you’re a “Yellowstone” fan, it appears that there’s still no word on when the final episodes of Season 5 will be airing. But if you’re a betting person, the November timeframe that Paramount has been hoping to make doesn’t seem very likely, at all.