Kevin Costner (The Bodyguard) has spoken out for the first time on the record to tell his side of the lengthy clash with the hit show, Yellowstone. At his divorce hearing on Friday, Costner testified, with the exchange in court digging into his finances from the show. According to The Hollywood Reporter via People, “… the 68-year-old Golden Globe- winning Yellowstone star said he might take the show to court to settle their differences. Costner claims he is owed $12 million for the not-yet filmed second half of season five after Paramount walked away from negotiations.”
On the Paramount Network, Yellowstone has become the most-watched entertainment show on television. Costner plays John Dutton, a rancher in Montana who owns one of the biggest cattle ranches in the United States. The first half of season five of Yellowstone is available to stream, but the second half of the season has been delayed for unknown reasons, with some claiming Costner’s busy schedule is getting in the way, the series’ showrunner Taylor Sheridan (1883) has taken on too many projects, or Sheridan’s assumption that Paramount has increasing pressure for more content. Via The Hollywood Reporter, “One factor is that Costner landed deal to make a dream project, a four-part movie saga titled Horizon… Once the decision was made last year to split Yellowstone season five into two seasons, Costner said he rearranged his production schedule with Horizon. But when he was ready to begin filming, scripts for the second half of the season weren’t ready.”
Nearly four months ago, in May, Paramount shocked fans by revealing Yellowstone will end with the second half of season five. Costner wanted to continue on the show for a sixth season but he was unable to help them anymore as they tried to negotiate, but he was offered less money than in previous seasons. Sheridan sees things differently, stating that Costner requested to work less and less on the series as the seasons continued, which frustrated producers. Sheridan revealed he and Costner were always able to work out their differences, but once lawyers get involved, blame is shifted and lies are spread. Via The Hollywood Reporter, “Sheridan hinted that John Dutton was never going to be around for the very end of the show, and that the conclusion of Yellowstone is unchanged from his original movie script.”