Kevin Costner is officially on to new horizons. The actor has hung up his “Yellowstone” hat, ruling out a return to the long-gestating final episodes of the hit Paramount Network series.
Costner, who has been on the promotional circuit for the first and second parts of his Western epic “Horizon,” made his decision known with a video on social media, filmed during the daytime but posted to his accounts on Thursday evening.
“After this long year-and-a-half of working on ‘Horizon’ and doing all the things that 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,” Costner said in the video. “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 relationships that I’ve been able to develop. And I’ll see you at the movies.”
The first eight episodes of “Yellowstone” Season 5 aired in the fall of 2022 and saw Costner back in the saddle leading the series as John Dutton. Now, after a long period of development and strike-related delays, the final six episodes are finally in production.
With Costner currently tied up promoting “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” and its sequel, plus having already distanced himself from the series for over a year now and threatening to sue the show’s producers, a return already seemed unlikely at best. Paramount Network announced a Nov. 10 premiere date for the final episodes Thursday morning, hours before Costner made his continued absence official.
Costner’s comments come just days after the actor floated a potential “Yellowstone” return “under the right circumstances” on Today. It was the latest of several suggestions made by the star that he would be interested in reappearing for the series’ final episodes.
“Saying there’s a chance, there’s always a chance,” he said on the talk show. “I love the thing. You’ve got to be really clear about that.”
Now, three days later, Costner has ruled out that chance.
