Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan says he’s “disappointed” with Kevin Costner’s exit, but it’s beyond his control.
Sheridan discusses the rumors surrounding the headline star’s departure – as well as the fate of rancher John Dutton III at the end of the Paramount Network show – in a new interview with the Hollywood journalist. He says he and Costner always had open communication — until attorneys got involved.
“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to do,” Sheridan said of Costner’s four-part film series, titled Horizon: an American saga, that the actor/director mortgaged his house to finance. “He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with it. Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule around [his preferred exit date]’, what we have done.”
THE dance with wolves star, who won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama in January, reportedly tried to reduce the number of days he spent doing Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018. It originally spent 65 days shooting, but only wanted to shoot 50 for the first part of Season 5, which aired its mid-season finale on January 1. As for the scheduling of the second half of the season, six episodes, Costner reportedly wanted to truncate it to a week, leading to a standoff with the network. However, Costner’s attorney denied asking to be fired within a week. Costner insiders claimed the actor was frustrated with behind-the-scenes delays and alleged differences with Sheridan. Ultimately, Paramount announced that the hit show would end at the end of Season 5. It was originally supposed to return this summer, but was pushed back to November. Now, that might be further delayed due to the writers’ strike.
“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t changed,” Sheridan said. “His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful…and I’ve never had a problem with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once the lawyers get involved, people can’t talk to each other. to others and start saying things that aren’t true and try to blame it on how the press or the public seem to react He took a lot of that on the chin and I don’t know if anyone deserves. the film seems to be a high priority for him and he wants to change direction. I hope so [the movie is] it’s worth it – and that it’s a good one.”
Sheridan responded to rumors that he and Costner had an on-set blowout during which he told the Oscar winner to “stick to comedy.” He said, “I never had that conversation with Kevin.” He said he was receptive to Costner’s thoughts, and they even changed the character’s direction after Costner’s comments in Season 2.
When Sheridan was asked if he could have handled the situation with Costner differently, he replied, “I didn’t do anything to start! I don’t dictate the timeline. I don’t determine when things start to turn. “I can’t determine when things air. Those decisions are made by people way above me. My sphere of control is the content – that’s it. None of my productions have me.” never waited Believe me I begged [for more time] with 1883. I begged with 1923. Begged. No, ‘Airdate locked; for what we pay you, get by. And I don’t stand in a corner and think, ‘I’m not going to do this.'”
He also spoke about the fate of John Dutton III with Sheridan saying the behind-the-scenes drama won’t change his outlook.
“I don’t fucking do car crashes,” Sheridan said, referring to the revenge killing character on behind-the-scenes drama. [Dutton’s fate] swollen [Costner’s] ego or insults are collateral damage that I don’t factor into storytelling.”
And while this all seems so final, the outlet noted that talks are ongoing for Costner to return to shoot a few scenes to wrap up his script.
“I’m disappointed,” admitted Sheridan. “It truncates his character’s closure. It doesn’t modify him, but it truncates him.”
However, he suggested that the final episodes of Yellowstone could be extended beyond the final six.
“If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap up, they’ll give me 10,” he said. “It will be as long as it takes.”
Regarding the Yellowstone sequel that would star Matthew McConaughey, Sheridan teased that the actor “seems like a natural fit.” He also teased others Yellowstone prequels, in addition to 1883 And 1923, saying, “As long as I do my job well and people don’t get bored of the genre, I think there will be enough for many more [prequels] – three or four.”
Yellowstone is just one of Costner’s dramas right now. Another is his ongoing divorce from his second wife, Christine, with whom he shares three children: Cayden, 16, Hayes, 14, and Grace, 13. Costner, a father of seven, has accused his estranged spouse of refusing to leave their home – per their prenuptial agreement – in a legal back-and-forth.
However, the show plays a big part in the divorce. After his wife filed for divorce in May, Costner denied that an extramarital affair on the set of Yellowstone was behind the split. Now, in newly filed court documents, Christine has denied pressuring Costner to leave. Yellowstone.
In court papers filed Friday in California Superior Court, Santa Barbara County, Christine said Costner’s “public attacks on me are detrimental to our family.” She said she “avoided being public about the reasons for our divorce…to protect our family’s privacy.”
She added, “I didn’t pressure Kevin to leave. Yellowstone to show.”
A Costner family source reportedly said People magazine that the actor’s demanding work schedule — as he juggled Yellowstone And Horizon – was difficult for Christine before ending the marriage.
Additional court documents say Christine is asking for $248,000 a month in child support. It is noted that the figure “is less than the amount needed to keep the children in their usual lifestyle”, and Christine is also asking Costner to pay 100% of private school tuition, extracurricular activities/sports and expenses health for their children.
The docs also claim that Costner’s income in 2022 was $19,517,0641. After expenses and taxes, it brought in $7,595,520. Some of the family’s expenses listed included regular trips to the Caribbean, Hawaii and Aspen, as well as entertainment. He also said that the upkeep of their many properties is around $2 million a year.