Future of Paramount’s Yellowstone in doubt over Kevin Costner scheduling conflict

Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone

The future of Paramount Network’s ratings juggernaut Yellowstone, currently in its fifth season, is in jeopardy over scheduling conflicts with lead star Kevin Costner.

Deadline has reported that the series from co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan could end after the fifth season because of a disagreement over Costner’s shooting schedule.

Costner is starring in and directing Horizon, a western feature from Warner Bros and New Line, this summer and reportedly only wanted to spend one week shooting the second batch of episodes for Yellowstone’s fifth season.

Sheridan and Paramount Global are looking to tee up a spin-off series fronted by Matthew McConaughey, according to the report, with the True Detective star currently in negotiations.

Regardless of whether the McConaughey series goes ahead, there is the possibility that Yellowstone could continue without Costner’s involvement.

Yellowstone follows John Dutton (played by Costner), the widowed patriarch of the Dutton family who runs the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the US.

It has already spawned a pair of prequel spin-off series, 1883 and 1923, the latter of which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. A third series, Bass Reeves, which is an offshoot of 1883, is also in the works.

Paramount Network released a statement saying: “We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”

Co-created by Sheridan and John Linson, the flagship Yellowstone series is produced by 101 Studios and MTV Entertainment Studios. Executive producers include John Linson, Art Linson, Sheridan, Costner, David C Glasser, Bob Yari and Stephen Kay.