Kevin Costner’s Lawyer Slams ‘Yellowstone’ Rumors as ‘an Absolute Lie’
Kevin Costner‘s lawyer vehemently denies the report that Yellowstone may end with Season 5 because the actor did not want to film for more than one week on its back half.
“The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie,” Costner’s attorney, Marty Singer, told Puck News. “It’s ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success.”
Deadline initially reported earlier in February that Taylor Sheridan, Paramount Network, and Paramount Global were considering ending “their signature show in its current form” due to scheduling conflicts with Costner, its newly minted Golden Globe winner, but continuing it in a refreshed iteration with Matthew McConaughey as the star.
“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone, and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner,” a spokesperson for Paramount Network told the outlet at the time.
Costner reportedly only wanted to film for 50 days for Part A of Yellowstone Season 5 (which premiered in November 2022), as opposed to the usual 65. And for Part B, he reportedly only wanted to film for one week. However, sources close to production told Puck that there’s more to the matter than the initial report.
Three sources told Puck that Costner had negotiated short filming windows for Season 5 Part A and Part B, but his contracted schedule was complicated after he caught COVID after a promotional trip to the Calgary Stampede rodeo. Rather than making up the days, according to the sources, Costner said his window elapsed and took time off, prompting all production to pause (to the apparent frustration of some co-stars). This and other production issues meant filming couldn’t resume until 2023.
According to the sources, one of Costner’s lawyers, Howard Kaplan, has only offered one week of summer dates for the remaining 5B episodes, plus two pick-up dates in October and November, which is a very small window of time to complete a meaningful story arc when shooting outdoors and with horses.
Paramount Network
Another source told the outlet that Season 5 was supposed to wrap filming entirely in 2022. They said it was Sheridan, littered with several other projects, who delivered scripts late and was frequently changing the schedule. The source noted that while Costner did cause that COVID delay, he still performed the duties of his contract.
In response to Singer’s above statement, a Paramount rep told Puck, “As we previously stated, Kevin has been a key component of the success of our Yellowstone series, and we hope that continues from here on out.”
Per this new report, 5B is reportedly on track to shoot this summer and fall and air in November. November 2023 was initially envisioned as the Yellowstone Season 6 release date window. Season 5 was meant to be 16 episodes. Part A released eight so far, and Part B will likely also have eight. But given the delays, 5B could be the de facto Season 6.
Costner’s time outside of Yellowstone has in part been occupied by Horizon, the first film in a Civil War-era western franchise the actor is co-writing, producing, directing, and starring in.
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