It’s official: Kevin Costner will not be reprising his role as John Dutton for the final episodes of Yellowstone or seemingly any other potential spinoffs.
The Academy Award-winning actor shared a video on his Instagram page on Thursday evening (June 20), letting fans know he will not be returning to Taylor Sheridan‘s hit neo-Western drama.
“Hi everyone. I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone — that beloved series that I love — that I know you love. I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5b or into the future,” he said.
He continued, “It was something that really changed me. I loved it, and I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
Earlier on Thursday, Paramount announced that the second half of the fifth and final season will premiere on Sunday, November 10, at 8 pm ET/PT. However, the announcement did not reveal whether or not Costner’s John Dutton would appear in the episodes, leading the actor to share an update himself to temper fans’ expectations.
Costner portrayed patriarch John Dutton III in the popular series, which revolves around the conflicts between the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the Broken Rock Indian reservation, Yellowstone National Park, and various land developers.
The Field of Dreams star left the show in 2022 amid a rumored falling out with Sheridan over salary and scheduling. The two-time Oscar winner’s four-part film series, Horizon: An American Saga, was said to be a major sticking point.
In recent months, Costner stated he’d be open to reprising his role for the final episodes, even if in a small guest role. However, it was reported that no discussions took place as the final scripts had already been written.
Despite the way things ended with Yellowstone, Costner recently said he’d be open to working with Sheridan again on other projects.
“He’s doing special work in a lot of different ways. He’s very prolific about the things he does, and if he sees me in something that he wants to do, I’ll look at it just the way I did Yellowstone, and maybe we will end up doing something together,” Costner told Entertainment Weekly.
Yellowstone, Season 5 Part 2 Premiere, Sunday, November 10, 9/8c, Paramount Network