Yellowstone has dealt with controversy and delays trying to release its final season.
Now fans are wondering what’s going to come next at Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
And Yellowstone cast members made this surprising decision about the show’s future.
Yellowstone stars appear to be set for the show’s sequel
After a long delay, production has begun on the final half of season five for the Paramount Network smash hit Yellowstone.
Season five will conclude the series, but there are already plans underway to continue the saga of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
Creator Taylor Sheridan is planning on releasing a sequel series tentatively titled 2024.
Now, some of the main cast members of Yellowstone are finalizing deals to join the sequel.
“In better news, as I predicted, Yellowstone breakouts Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes have ended their standoff and are wrapping up deals to return for the sequel series. No movement on Matthew McConaughey or Michelle Pfeiffer, both of whom will need to be satisfied with the creative direction before signing on,” Puck News’ Matt Belloni reported.
Hauser, Reilly, and Grimes were reportedly in jeopardy of walking away from the Yellowstone franchise over a contract dispute.
It’s likely that they would continue their characters’ story arc in the spinoff.
And that would mean main characters Rip Wheeler, Beth Dutton, and Kayce Dutton from Yellowstone would live on.
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Pfeiffer are in the running for the lead role in the spinoff series.
The show’s producers are reportedly having trouble agreeing to financial terms with McConaughey, which is opening the door for Pfeiffer to potentially snatch the lead role.
2024 could essentially end up becoming a continuation of Yellowstone without star Kevin Costner.
Possible return to Yellowstone for Kevin Costner
Production of Yellowstone is underway, and there’s still no definitive news about a potential return for Costner.
Belloni – a Hollywood insider with a track record of good predictions about the show – suggested that Costner would return in some form as John Dutton for the final episodes of the show.
“I still have a feeling Costner will end up in the series finale—the incentives for him, Sheridan, and Paramount are too great—but as of now there’s no plan,” Belloni wrote.
Costner has said that he’s willing to return to the show to wrap up his character’s story arc.
The actor turned his attention to making his Horizon movie franchise but didn’t close the book on Yellowstone.
Costner told GQ that he wasn’t sure if he could ever resolve his differences with Sheridan.
“I love that character. I love that world. I am a person that is very script-oriented. And if the scripts aren’t there now, I need to know what I am,” Costner said. “I want to make sure that the character lines up with what’s important to me too. And that’s pretty simple. That’s just between, again, Taylor and myself. Can we ever get there? I don’t know.”
Paramount Network responded to that interview with a curt statement that seemed to suggest his time on Yellowstone was done.
“Kevin has been a big part of Yellowstone’s success,” the company said. “While we had hoped that we would continue working with him, unfortunately, we could not find a window that worked for him, all the other talent, and our production needs in order to move forward together. We respect that Kevin has prioritized his new film series and we wish him the best.”
Fans will have to keep holding out hope that Costner returns to the show.
