Kevin Costner is setting the record straight on what really went down between him, Taylor Sheridan, and the Yellowstone team.
It has been a year and a half since fans last saw new episodes of the hit Paramount show, when the first part of the oversized fifth season, now set to be the last, concluded with a seventh episode.
Ever since, efforts to film and release the second part – which had a summer and then fall 2023 premiere date, neither of which happened – have been marred by production delays, just as the Dances with Wolves director has been marred with rumors that he was responsible for them.
Now, in a candid new interview with Deadline, Kevin has finally addressed the behind-the-scenes drama, and maintained that his forthcoming, self-funded passion project Horizon: An American Saga, has nothing to do with it.
"I haven't felt good about it the last year, what with the way they've talked about it. It wasn't truthful," he started, before clarifying: "I made a contract for seasons five, six and seven. In February, after a two- or three-month negotiation, they made another contract. They wanted to redo that one, and instead of seasons six and seven, it was 5A and 5B, and maybe we'll do six. They weren't able to make those. Horizon was set in the middle, but Yellowstone was first position. I fit [Horizon] into the gaps. They just kept moving their gaps."
"What I'm telling you is straight up," he maintained, adding that he took "a beating from those [expletive] guys" over the team "not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out," and that: "I'm not happy about that."
© ParamountKevin emphasized: "If you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong. I did not initiate any of those things. They did. They were doing a tap dance… I don't know why they didn't stick up for me."
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"I just elected not to get into that," he continued, noting that while things sorted themselves out, "I've just been busy working," however he still made time should he need to be back on the Yellowstone set while he filmed Horizon.
© Getty"I left my movie to be on time for them for 5B. I left exactly when they wanted, and it made it hard on me," he continued, before revealing: "It turns out they didn't have the scripts for 5B."
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"They needed four more days just to complete the first eight episodes. I left early to give them what they needed to have a complete eight, and I felt bad that the audience didn't get ten."
© GettyHe ultimately emphasized: "I've never missed a day of work. I've never left before fulfilling my contractual obligations. A lot of times, I stay as much as I can," though noted: "Why don't you stick up for me? I went and sold this thing for you. I was going to only do one season. I made it for three. I fulfilled three."
And as for whether despite it all, he'd still come back as John Dutton for more Yellowstone, he said: "I'm very open to coming back. If they've got so many other things going on, maybe this circles back and it's a really cool two seasons. Or end it, if the writing's there and I'm happy with it. I'm open to that."
