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

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. Voros was asked if the second half of Yellowstone felt like the end when they were making it, and replied, "I think the degree of secrecy that went into it, the vibe was definitely that we were protecting a conclusion. As far as what the future holds? I don't know. I honestly don't know."

In terms of whether the series could end after season five or carry on, she added, "When you create iconic characters like this, everyone has their own story that could continue. That's true of most shows; most good shows.

"And that's why in the last 10 years you see so many spinoffs, because there's a character who stands out and you say, 'Well, that character isn't there anymore, but boy it would be interesting to see what this character does next.' I think when you build characters that are rich, multi-faceted and intriguing with a life force, if you've done your job correctly, each of those characters could sustain their own narratives."

In May, meanwhile, Costner opened up about his decision to quit the show . He explained that Yellowstone was his first priority and scheduled filming for the movie Horizon on his days off, but that the series' production team was "doing a tap dance" and kept moving the days.

He also claimed that he left filming for Horizon for a "whole month" to shoot the second half of Yellowstone's season five, but that there was "no script" and "things imploded".