How is this even a thing?
It feels like it was forever ago, but earlier this year, it was rumored that Kevin Costner would be exiting Yellowstone due to conflicts in film scheduling.
Unfortunately, these rumors turned out to be true, as it was later confirmed that Costner was no longer apart of the Yellowstone saga, and the show was coming to an end after the second half of Season 5.
And now, we’re starting to learn more of the conversations that went on between Costner and the show’s co-creator Taylor Sheridan, and how this whole thing blew up at the peak of its popularity.
In a recent Puck article, we learned that Sheridan had completely written Costner out of the script for the second half of Season 5, which was mostly done when the writer’s strike began in May.
We also learned that Costner attempted to rejoin the show, and also for a possible sixth and seventh season. However, he also demanded more money, a reduced film schedule, and also the right to review, approve, and even change the scripts that Sheridan wrote.
Needless to say, Sheridan refused to agree to that.
In Costner’s divorce trial, he testified that he might even take the show to court over the fallout, which pretty much means that unless something changes, we’ve officially seen the last of Kevin Costner as John Dutton.
But, another intriguing aspect of the Puck article, was the mentioning of a “moral death” provision that was apart of Costner’s initial Yellowstone deal.
The clause was put in during one of Costner’s early renegotiations for the show (probably after Season 1), and it lists the different types of ways John Dutton (Costner’s character) can, and more importantly, can not be killed off.
Essentially, John Dutton can’t be killed off in any embarrassing or shameful ways that would bring about some embarrassment on Kevin Costner’s name as well.
Sounds insane, right?
This clause will obviously play an intriguing role in the conclusion of the show, as it limits the ways in which John Dutton will pass away. However, since it seems very unlikely that Kevin will even be in the filming for the second half of Season 5, how undignified can it really get?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what Sheridan can come up with…
