Kevin Costner says he’s keeping his “Yellowstone” options open, despite leaving the hit Paramount Network series last year.
The 69-year-old actor director said in a recent interview that he would like to return to Taylor Sheridan’s neo-western world after the second half of its final season airs in November.
“I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five,” the Oscar winner told “Entertainment Tonight” at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier this week.
“How it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on,” he said, before adding, “maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I really feel comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”
Costner, who starred as the patriarch of the Dutton ranch, confirmed reports of his exit in September. During a Santa Barbara hearing for his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, the “Dances With Wolves” actor-director revealed that he and the studios behind “Yellowstone” failed to strike a deal ensuring his commitment to the series.
“I couldn’t help them any more,” he said, People reported in September. “We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative.”
Speculation about his departure from the Emmy-nominated series first surfaced in February 2023, when news broke that Paramount Global and Paramount Network were looking to end “Yellowstone.” In May 2023, Paramount announced that the blockbuster series was to end, with episodes split into two batches.
“Yellowstone’s” farewell was derailed by the dual actors’ and writers’ strikes in the summer and early fall of 2023.
In addition to negotiation troubles, Costner’s “Yellowstone” exit came amid reports of tension with Sheridan. In a June interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan said he was “disappointed” by his star’s departure, and that Costner’s film ambitions conflicted with the show’s production schedule.
Costner stars, writes and directs his “Horizon” saga, which will make its debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May.
Despite Costner’s exit, Sheridan told THR he knows how he wants to bring John Dutton’s story to a close, adding that his departure only “truncates the closure of his character.”
Costner, on the other hand, told ET that “I’ve had my own fantasy how [the ending] might be.”
“But that’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back,” he added. “I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”
