Kevin Costner “integral” to ‘Yellowstone’ finale despite quitting before last episodes

nme.com:

Yellowstone director Christina Voros has described Kevin Costner as “integral” to the show, despite the actor quitting before the last episodes.Costner played the lead character, ranch owner John Dutton, since the first season in 2018, but announced last year that he’d be leaving the series amid speculation that he’d fallen out with creator Taylor Sheridan.The Hollywood Reporter asked Voros about Costner’s presence as Dutton in the midseason finale, which aired on New Year’s Day 2023.

She replied: “His presence is integral. I think to say any more than that would potentially compromise all the work that went into redacting the scripts!

But I think the reason people are wondering, ‘Is he, isn’t he? Where is he, where is he not?’ is because he is the patriarch and his presence is an essential component to the story.

John Dutton is still central.”It was first announced that season five would be the final season of Paramount’s neo-Western drama, but rumours of plans for a sixth season have recently arisen – and there’s been talk of a spin-off, too.