Ever since it started airing in 2018, Yellowstone season 6 has been a big success for The Paramount Network and one of the most-watched shows on TV. Taylor Sheridan’s modern Western series also brought Kevin Costner back into the limelight by casting him as John Dutton, the head of the Dutton family. They own the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, one of the biggest ranches in Montana.
The fifth season of Yellowstone premiered in 2022, but the future of the series and the franchise were called into question when reports emerged that Costner was leaving the show and Paramount Network had already ordered a sequel series that will continue without Costner’s involvement. To bring everyone up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the future of Yellowstone.
Yellowstone Season 6: Is it happening?
There won’t be a Season 6 of Yellowstone, as it was announced in 2023 that the show would be ending with Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, due to be released in November 2024.
The finale of Season 5 Part 1 was simply meant to serve as a season break. However, the show is now set to end with the remaining six episodes in Part 2. With that, the flagship Yellowstone series will come to a close once and for all.
Why is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?
In February 2023, Deadline said there was an argument between Costner and The Paramount Network about him being in season 5 of a show. They said Costner’s main focus was a new Western movie called Horizon, which he’s really into. Because of this, he only filmed for 50 days for the first part of Yellowstone season 5. Costner didn’t want to spend much more time shooting the rest of the season, just about a week. So, Paramount Network decided to end the show and start working on a new one instead.
Sheridan addressed the issue in a June 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he said: “My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network argued about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” added Sheridan. “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 … I’m disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.
Yellowstone Season 6 Release Date
Currently, there’s no official news about when Yellowstone Season 6 will be released. The creators of the show haven’t said anything about what’s next, which has left fans curious. Part 1 of Yellowstone Season 5 came out on November 13, 2022, and now fans are excitedly waiting for Part 2. People are talking a lot about Season 6, but we don’t know for sure if it’s happening. Let’s find out more.
Which Yellowstone cast members will return for the spinoff?
Prior to last year’s actors’ strike, Deadline reported that “it has not been revealed whether the McConaughey-fronted franchise extension will be set on the Dutton ranch in Montana or elsewhere and which of the original stars of Yellowstone will appear in the spinoff series, but we hear a couple of them have received offers. The plan for the returning cast members may not get finalized until Sheridan finishes writing, we hear.”
The Yellowstone spinoff was not originally designed to include characters from the original series. However, a February 2024 report by Puck stated that Yellowstone stars Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes as three Yellowstone could join the spinoff. Reilly and Grimes play Beth and Kayce Dutton, while Hauser stars as Beth’s husband, Rip Wheeler. The trio is looking for significant pay increases to return for the spinoff. Reilly and Hauser are asking for a per-episode rate of $1.2 million and 1.25 million, respectively. Grimes’ salary demands were not included. Puck’s follow-up in March 2024 stated negotiations were still ongoing.
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Given the way that Yellowstone season 5A ended, it’s hard to picture Reilly and Wes Bentley returning for the spinoff series since their respective characters, Beth and Jamie Dutton, have openly contemplated murdering each other over their ongoing dispute. Beth is John Dutton’s daughter and Jamie is his adopted son, but they have very different endgames in mind. Jamie has already gone against the family by calling for his father to be impeached from his position as the governor of Montana. That alone could get Jamie sent to the “train station,” where the Dutton family tends to dump the bodies of their enemies.
When will Yellowstone season 5 part 2 begin production?
Paramount Network will reportedly resume production of Yellowstone season 5 part 2 in late spring. If the strikes hadn’t happened, the episodes would have been filmed last summer.
What’s next for Yellowstone?
Essentially, the Dutton family tree keeps growing. The new spinoffs — 1944 and 2024 — were announced in May 2023. While not much information has been given about the plot or cast of these shows, we can take a few educated guesses as to what’ll be going on.
1944 will likely serve as a sequel to 1923 Season 2, while Yellowstone 2024 will act as a direct follow-up to the main Yellowstone series. Meanwhile, 6666 will step away from the Duttons and be set on the famous Texas ranch with new characters.
Matthew McConaughey might be joining the Yellowstone franchise, and some folks think he could become the main star of Yellowstone 2024. It’s not confirmed yet, but it seems like the logical next move.
Chris McCarthy, who is the president and CEO of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, mentioned that Yellowstone has been really important for them. It’s like the foundation for many successful shows, like 1883 and Tulsa King. He believes their new sequel will also be a big hit, all thanks to the great ideas from Taylor Sheridan and the amazing actors who make these shows real.
