BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Kevin Costner attends the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman at The Beverly Hilton on February 04, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)© Jeff Kravitz

Kevin Costner teases he's 'not finished' with Yellowstone ahead of first new season without him

The Field of Dreams director has had complications with both Yellowstone and his passion project Horizon: An American Saga

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Kevin Costner is keeping his head up even if things aren't exactly going his way.

It has been a tough year for the Yellowstone actor, both personally and professionally. Not only did he finalize his divorce from his wife of almost 20 years, Christine Baumgartner, after a contentious legal battle, but he was also marred with drama and delays concerning his role in Yellowstone, which ultimately culminated in his leaving the show.

Moreover, his passion project Horizon: An American Saga, a four part Western movie extravaganza — reportedly a source of contention in both his divorce and falling out with the Yellowstone team — recently failed to make an impression on both critics and the box office.

Kevin Costner confirms he's not returning to Yellowstone

Still, Kevin is looking ahead. Recently speaking with Entertainment Tonight at The HISTORY Channel HISTORYTalks event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, the Oscar-winning director addressed the long-awaited second part of Yellowstone season five, the first installment that will air without his lead character John Dutton.

"That's been a wonderful part of my life you know, making Yellowstone," he shared, noting: "Some things have a way of circling back," however he hasn't "seen that dust trail coming towards me."

Still, he teased: "I have always been open to what I started. That story is not finished."

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Westerns are a common theme in the actor's work

Also addressing Horizon's rocky debut, he said: "I don't mind going with the crowd, but if the crowd is not going where I want to go, I'm not really worried about going my other way."

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"I am really just trying to find that mythical partner who would like to maybe make movies with me for the next ten years. That man or woman who wants to make things that maybe stand the  test of time," he added.

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Kevin became John Dutton on Yellowstone in 2018

Horizon had a budget of $100 million, and was filmed in a Utah set that Kevin plans to expand into a massive, Costner-themed movie filming compound. He has admitted to putting over $38 million of his own money into the first film alone, though it earned only $11 million on opening weekend, and a total of $32 million globally as of last month.

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With his family at the Los Angeles premiere of Horizon

Moreover, while the first installment premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and the second was set to arrive in theaters on August 16, the theatrical release was ultimately postponed indefinitely following the first's poor debut.

MORE: Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser to star in Yellowstone season 6 as show is set to return

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He received Best Director and Best Picture wins for Dances with Wolves

Chapter 2 instead premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month, in conjunction with a screening of the first installment, however it remains unclear when it will be released to the public.

Speaking with E! News last month about how it all unfolded, Kevin noted: "I've faced life with people being dismissive of me," before emphasizing: "But they can't be dismissive of Horizon, because now it's out of their hands. And they might point to the finish line — well, this is what it did at the box office — but I know that this movie is going to play for the next 50 years."

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