Yellowstone is supposed to span seven seasons. And even though the highly anticipated part two of season five has been delayed for more than a year, it's still happening with creator Taylor Sheridan moving forward without its star Kevin Costner who plays the patriarch, John Dutton, Screen Rant reported.
However, the reported behind-the-scenes challenges between Costner and Sheridan may have Yellowstone ending without John Dutton. Another however: the actor has previously said he still wants to return to the celebrated series in once capacity or another.
Costner exited Yellowstone partly due to wanting to focus on his own series, those of the Horizon films, the first of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month and will hit the cinemas on June 28.
Is Costner's Yellowstone exit final?
Yellowstone is still going to end with season five. However, Kayce (Luke Grimes), Beth (Kelly Reiley), Rip (Cole Hauser) will continue the story in 2024. Plus Jimmy (Jefferson White) in the sequel series 6666. If it does continue the story and last at least two seasons, Yellowstone will essentially still have seasons five and six — just with a different title.
Costner spoke exclusively with Entertainment Tonight and said that he still expects his John Dutton to be in the spotlight for seasons six and seven.
“I'd like to be able to do it but we haven't been able to. I thought we were going to make seven [seasons] but right now we're at five,” he said.
However, the actor's return all depends on whether or not Sheridan will kill John off in the upcoming six episodes. If not, the Dutton patriarch could still return in the many planned spinoffs.
The logical conclusion would be John to return to 2024, the spinoff with his children and Rip, which would be a monumental feat for the franchise: the return of the show's original star. And with Matthew McConaughey joining the 2024 spinoff, we would be getting two A-list Academy Award winners. Not only that, we would get two real cowboys as well, despite Costner being a Californian, he does have his own (but now listed on the market) Aspen ranch.
The Texan McConaughey also has his own ranch (partnered with Walden Retreats) in his home state, called the Longbranch Ranch. Longbranch is also the name of the actor's bourbon created with Wild Turkey.
Spinoffs and prequels
As for Jimmy's sequel series, 6666, that will be at the historic Four Sixes Ranch. John sent White's Jimmy Hurdstrom there to work. He ends up falling in love with the ranch and decided to stay. John Dutton could guest star there as well as he tries to see how his unlikely protégé is faring.
The other Yellowstone planned spinoff is 1944. Not much is known about this series yet. However, it's highly unlikely that John could make a guest appearance there. According to the patriarch's bio, he was born in 1956, a full dozen years after the spinoff's timeline.
So the only place — or time, really — that Costner could return to is 2024. Unless Sheridan and Costner decide to bury the proverbial hatchet somewhere in their respective ranches, the Yellowstone creator could come up with a prequel to the original show.
There are currently two prequels. The chronologically first prequel, the 10-episode miniseries 1883, which starred Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton as they journey from Tennessee and end up settling in Montana to establish what would become the Yellowstone Ranch.
And then the second, eight-episode miniseries 1923, which starred Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as Cara and Jacob Dutton. The show takes place during the hardships of the Prohibition as well as the early stages of the Great Depression, an event that affected Montana way before it reached New York and precipitated the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
With Sheridan's propensity for numbers, it is entirely conceivable for him to create another prequel. Historically speaking, he could set it somewhere in between the '70s and the '80s. Why those years? According to both the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service and the PBS, the agricultural boom happened in the 1970s and then the farming crisis happened in the 1980s.
You're welcome, Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan.
Yellowstone's fifth season, part two is set to premiere Nov. 10 on Paramount+.
