Kevin Costner won't return to 'Yellowstone': 'I'm not going to be able to continue'
There's no more work to be done for John Dutton: Kevin Costner will not be returning to "Yellowstone."
Costner, 69, confirmed he would not be returning to the hit neo-Western series as patriarch Dutton, ending more than a year of speculation and negotiations. Speaking directly to fans in an informal video posted on his Instagram and social media pages late Thursday night, Costner said he would not participate in the second half of "Yellowstone" Season 5 — the series' final episodes — currently being shot in Montana.
"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be returning," Costner said in the video released the same day the Paramount Network announced a Nov. 10 premiere for the final "Yellowstone" episodes.
Instead of "Yellowstone," Costner will focus on other movies and "Horizon," the four-part Western movie series he has produced, co-written, directed and stars in.
"I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year-and-a-half of working on 'Horizon' and doing all the things that that’s required," said Costner. "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 Five B or into the future."
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Costner tipped his hat to the central role in the Taylor Sheridan drama, which led to an international hit and a career power resurgence. "It's something that really changed me," he said. "I loved it. And I know you loved it."
The first "Horizon" film, which Costner has said he paid $38 million of his own money to finance, hits theaters June 28. The second movie, "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2," will be released less than two months later on Aug. 16. Costner is already shooting the third movie in Utah.
He ended the video by reaching out to the "Yellowstone" fans.
"I love the relationship we've been able to develop," he said. "And I'll see you at the movies."
