MOVIE NEWS – A new Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 2 Part 2 report says Kevin Costner will not return for the series’ final episodes as John Dutton.

Kevin Costner is reportedly not returning for Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 2. First broadcast in 2018, the Taylor Sheriden-directed neo-western drama has become one of Paramount’s most popular series, following Costner’s John Dutton as he fights to protect his Montana farm. Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 1 aired last year, but Season 2, the final episodes of the series, were surrounded by controversy over Costner’s involvement.

Now that the wait for Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 2 continues, Hollywood insider Matt Belloni reports on a new episode of The Town podcast that Costner will not be returning for the series’ final episodes as far as he knows.

The report follows months of behind-the-scenes drama on the show, which has put Costner’s potential return into question. Watch Belloni’s full commentary on Yellowstone below:

“Yellowstone will probably start shooting again early this year. So it could be in theaters in the spring or summer. The scripts have been written, I understand, or are being written. And the question is whether Costner will be in this season of Yellowstone in its final episodes. And I understand that as of now, it won’t be in those episodes”.

About a month after the finale of Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 1, in January of this year, news began to surface that trouble was brewing behind the scenes of the hit series. According to reports, a rift between Costner and the Yellowstone production, including Sheridan, was widening due to a series of issues. Shortly after this news first surfaced, it was confirmed that Yellowstone Season 5, Episode 2 will end the series.

The conflict between Costner and the production reportedly involved a dispute over pay and creative control of the series, but the core of the issue appeared to be Yellowstone’s filming schedule. With Season 5 split in two, the filming of Episode 2 would now affect Costner’s work on Horizon: An American Saga, his long-running passion project. The upcoming western was created more than 30 years ago, and Costner is also acting as co-writer, director, executive producer and star.

Although Belloni’s comments have not been officially confirmed by Sheridan or Paramount, it appears that the rift between Costner and the production has proved unbridgeable. It’s unclear exactly how Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 2 will handle the absence of the main character, but Costner not returning is obviously a major storytelling challenge. Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over and work can resume on the final episodes of Yellowstone, more information is likely to emerge in the coming weeks.
Source: Screen Rant