Throughout its five seasons run Yellowstone has been a massive success for Taylor Sheridan, with viewership and critical praise growing every season. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the series co-creator opens up about Kevin Costner's exit: in May, viewers learned that Costner would not reprise his role as family patriarch John Dutton after the ongoing fifth season. Shortly after the news of Costner's exit shocked fans, Paramount announced that the series would not return for a sixth season. Discussing Costner's exit and a reported rift between the two, Sheridan tells THR:
"My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn't altered. 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 adds: "I'm disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."
The film Sheridan mentions is Costner's four-part western epic Horizon, a passion project in which Costner is co-writing, directing, and starring.
"My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, 'We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],' which we did," Sheridan shares.
Related: Kevin Costner to Exit Yellowstone After Season 5
Although the popular neo-Western is now on hiatus, Yellowstone is set to return with its concluding episodes this November. Of course, that's not written in stone, given the ongoing writer's strike. According to THR, there are continuing discussions to bring Costner back to film some additional scenes to "wrap his character." Costner's return, according to Sheridan, has little to do with what will happen to John Dutton:
"I don't do f--- you car crashes. Whether [Dutton's fate] inflates [Costner's] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don't factor in with regard to storytelling."
Sheridan also assures viewers that Yellowstone's conclusion will take as long as needed to ensure the story is told completely and correctly:
"If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they'll [Paramount] give me 10," Sheridan says. "It'll be as long as it needs to be."
Yellowstone's success has resulted in prequel spinoffs 1883 and 1923, which have drawn in the talents of Hollywood superstars like Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, and Sam Elliot. Although Yellowstone may be ending, and its Mirren and Ford-led prequel 1923 is scheduled to run just two seasons, Sheridan's Yellowstone universe will likely continue to expand: a potential sequel series, starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey, is currently in negotiations.