Yellowstone’s Last Episodes: Finally, Some Good News
Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan Talks Kevin Costner’s Exit, John Dutton’s Fate: ‘I Don’t Do F–k You Car Crashes’
Creator Taylor Sheridan has broken his silence on the forthcoming end of Yellowstone and Kevin Costner‘s surprising exit.
News of his departure broke in February, with reports pointing to disputes between the actor and the series regarding his shooting schedule. Press indicated that Costner wanted to shoot the final season’s back half for one week only, a claim the actor and his lawyer promptly refuted.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan commented on Costner’s upcoming exit from the series, and hinted at what’s ahead for the show’s leading ranch owner, John Dutton. (Plus, some good news about Yellowstone’s end!)
“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct,” the writer/director said in reference to the actor’s passion project, a four-movie Western epic titled Horizon that Costner is co-writing, directing and starring in. “He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
Despite the dramatic headlines, Sheridan said his opinion of Costner and his work on Yellowstone “hasn’t altered,” but once lawyers and reps got 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. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
As for the fate of Costner’s character, Sheridan expressed disappointment. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it,” he said.
But fans of the show can rest assured that it won’t be a cheap ending or anything similar to how his character, Deputy Chief David Hale, met his end on Sons of Anarchy.
“I don’t do f–k-you car crashes,” he said. “Whether [Dutton’s fate] inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.”
