Kevin Costner Reveals Dispute with Hit Show ‘Yellowstone’ in Divorce Hearing
Actor Kevin Costner has opened up about his ongoing dispute with the hit show ‘Yellowstone’ during his recent divorce hearing. The 68-year-old Golden Globe-winning star testified that he may take the show to court to settle their differences, claiming he is owed $12 million for the not-yet-filmed second half of season five after Paramount “walked away” from negotiations.
“It’s a little disappointing that [it’s the] No. 1 show on television [and] I’m not participating,” said Costner, whose wife of 19 years, Christine Baumgartner, filed for divorce in May. “I’ll probably go to court over it.”
Both Costner’s representative and Paramount’s representative had no comment on the matter.
‘Yellowstone’ has been on hiatus since the first half of season five aired late last year. The reason for the hold-up has been unclear, with various sources from production and Costner’s camp pointing fingers at each other. Showrunner Taylor Sheridan, however, has attributed the delay to Paramount’s demands for more content for its streaming service.
Costner had landed a deal for his passion project, a four-part movie saga titled ‘Horizon,’ and had rearranged his production schedule to accommodate it. However, when he was ready to begin filming, scripts for the second half of ‘Yellowstone’ season five weren’t ready. In May, Paramount surprised fans by announcing the show would end with the second half of season five.
Costner expressed his desire to return for season six but claimed he couldn’t help them anymore due to issues with creative differences and a decrease in his salary offer. Sheridan, in a cover story profile for The Hollywood Reporter, stated that Costner had been requesting to work fewer days on ‘Yellowstone’ in recent seasons to focus on his movies, which frustrated producers.
While discussions are ongoing to wrap up Costner’s character in a few scenes, the scripts are not yet complete. Sheridan expressed disappointment over the situation, stating that it truncates the closure of Costner’s character, John Dutton.
Sheridan also hinted that John Dutton was never meant to be present until the very end of the show, and the conclusion of ‘Yellowstone’ remains unchanged from his original movie script. However, Costner’s statements in court suggest that his character’s role was originally planned for seven seasons, making it a significant truncation if his role is indeed wrapped in season five.
The future of ‘Yellowstone’ is uncertain, as it remains to be seen how the dispute between Costner and Paramount will be resolved.