Skip to main content

Everything you need to know about Yellowstone season 5, part 2

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone.
The Paramount Network

Kevin Costner recently unveiled the first look at his upcoming multipart Western Horizon: An American Saga. However, for the vast majority of Yellowstone fans, the only saga they want is the conclusion of the Dutton family’s story and a glimpse of what comes next. Costner reinvigorated his career by headlining Yellowstone as John Dutton, but his clashes with Paramount Network and showrunner Taylor Sheridan have left Costner’s future with the franchise in question.

Although we’re still several months away from the return of the series, we’re sharing everything we know about Yellowstone season 5, part 2. And we’ll keep updating this post when anything newsworthy comes up.

Will Kevin Costner return for Yellowstone season 5, part 2?

Kevin Costner leans over a fence in Yellowstone.
Paramount

For now, it’s unknown. Despite the alleged feud with Sheridan, Costner hopes to reprise his role as the Dutton family patriarch in YellowstoneMatthew Belloni of Puck News reported in March 2024 that Costner is telling people he will return in some capacity, perhaps as a cameo.

“Kevin Costner has been telling people he’s planning to return for at least a cameo and possibly more, but there are currently no discussions for him to do that,” Belloni wrote. “Even if Costner significantly lowers his financial and time commitment demands, Sheridan may not want to bother reopening his finished scripts to accommodate a send-off for John Dutton.”

To date, Costner has not spoken directly about his conflict with Sheridan and Paramount Network. The only time Costner revealed any details was while he was in court for his September 2023 divorce from Christine Baumgartner. Via Deadline, Costner confirmed there were issues with his Yellowstone shooting schedule, which conflicted with his Horizon commitments. Costner also acknowledged creative differences with Sheridan and openly stated that he may go to court over his exit from the series.

However, as of April 2024, no lawsuit by Costner has been filed. It’s unclear if that means talks between the two sides remain ongoing. If and when Costner files a lawsuit, then we can safely say that he won’t be back.

Does Kevin Costner want to come back to Yellowstone?

John Dutton looks concerned in Yellowstone.
Paramount

After almost a year of silence on the issue, Costner finally made some public comments about his potential return to Yellowstone for the final episodes. The good news is that he does want to return, but even Costner doesn’t know whether it’s going to happen.

“I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to … I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five,” Costner told Entertainment Tonight. “So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”

Costner also appeared to indicate that he wants a say in the fate of his character.

“[Dutton] needs to be proactive in what happens, and I’ve kind of had my own fantasy how [the character’s final arc] might be,” said Costner. “But that’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”

As of April 2024, it doesn’t appear that Costner and Paramount Network have struck a deal for his return. So, while he is open to reprising his role, it’s still far from certain.

What will happen to John Dutton if Costner doesn’t return?

Beth talks to her father in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network

Sheridan had a very revealing quote on the subject when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in June 2023. He said that Costner’s exit “truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.” This implies that John Dutton won’t survive the end of Yellowstone even if Costner does reappear.

Via ScreenRant, one of the theories regarding Dutton’s fate is that he will meet his demise from colon cancer. During the first season, Dutton survived his first bout with that illness. If that’s the way John Dutton dies, then it would bring his fate full circle.

What do the other cast members think about Kevin Costner’s exit?

Luke Grimes in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network

Luke Grimes, who plays John Dutton’s youngest son, Kayce Dutton, recently shared his thoughts about Kevin Costner’s apparent departure from the show. And he sounds largely supportive of Costner’s decision.

“Whatever happened there is unfortunate if it’s changed anything about how the show was going to unfold,” said Grimes during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I know, [Costner] got busy with his movies that were like passion projects. At a certain point, you gotta do what you gotta do, man; you gotta do what you love.”

Will the spinoff series serve as Yellowstone season 6?

A cowboy rides a horse in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network

That is the general idea that Paramount Network sold to fans when the end of Yellowstone was announced. However, a report on Puck states that three of the show’s principal cast members, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes, are in a pay dispute with Paramount Network because they want significant raises to reprise their respective roles as Beth Dutton, Rip Wheeler, and Kayce Dutton.

The report also indicates that those cast members have to be paid for Yellowstone season 6 even though it won’t be produced. That was a provision in their contracts for the previous series. There’s no indication yet whether the actors and Paramount Network have come to terms. If they don’t re-sign with the new show, then the spinoff series will lose key characters who could have been the bridge to the future of the franchise.

Which Dutton will survive: Jamie or Beth?

Wes Bently and Kelly Reilly in Yellowstone.
The Paramount Network

The first half of Yellowstone season 5 featured the complete deterioration of the relationship between Beth and her adoptive brother – who doubles as the black sheep of the family – Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley). Beth and Jamie even openly contemplated murdering each other in a struggle that may destroy the Duttons. That is one of the big unresolved plotlines heading into the second half of the season.

Note that Bently’s name was not mentioned in Puck’s report about Yellowstone cast members seeking a raise for the spinoff series. If there’s any veracity to that story, it may mean that Jamie isn’t going to make it out of Yellowstone season 5, part 2. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Jamie will die, it could also mean incarceration or exile from his family. For now, we can only speculate.

Will Matthew McConaughey appear in Yellowstone season 5, part 2?

Matthew McConaughey in True Detective season 1.
HBO

If Sheridan wanted to follow the established model for TV spinoffs, Matthew McConaughey’s new character from the upcoming spinoff would be introduced in Yellowstone season 5, part 2. The only problem with that idea is that there’s no official report that McConaughey has even signed on for the spinoff.

McConaughey’s name has been mentioned in conjunction with the spinoff since February 2023. Since that time, all of the Hollywood trades have simply said that McConaughey is in talks to lead the spinoff. So it’s just talk until McConaughey actually signs on the dotted line. For now, there’s no indication that he has.

How many episodes of Yellowstone are left?

Yellowstone Season 5 Official Trailer | Paramount Network

Originally, only six episodes were planned to conclude the series. But Sheridan told THR in 2023 that he has the leeway to change that, if he chooses to. “If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they’ll give me 10,” said Sheridan. “It’ll be as long as it needs to be.”

When will Yellowstone season 5, part 2 begin filming?

Two men walk on a ranch in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network

Paramount Network has announced that production will resume this spring, so it should be within a few weeks.

When will Yellowstone season 5, part 2 premiere?

A family gathers outside in Yellowstone season one.
The Paramount Network

The final episodes of Yellowstone season 5 will begin airing in November on Paramount Network.

Who is in the cast of Yellowstone season 5 part 2?

John Dutton stands next to his two children in Yellowstone.
Paramount Network

For now, Costner remains the lead of Yellowstone as John Dutton, though it remains to be seen if he will return. The core cast expected to appear in Yellowstone season 5 part 2 includes:

  • Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton
  • Kelly Reilly as Bethany “Beth” Dutton
  • Wes Bentley as James Michael “Jamie” Dutton
  • Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler
  • Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long Dutton
  • Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater
  • Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton
  • Denim Richards as Colby Mayfield
  • Forrie J. Smith as Lloyd Pierce
  • Ian Bohen as Ryan
  • Jen Landon as Teeter
  • Finn Little as Carter
  • Ryan Bingham as Walker

Will we see more of young John Dutton in Yellowstone season 5, part 2?

Josh Lucas leans back as John Dutton in Yellowstone.
The Paramount Network

While it’s still unknown whether or not Kevin Costner will return, John Dutton will be popping up in season 5, part 2. Josh Lucas, the actor who plays a younger version of Costner’s character, told Deadline on March 14 that he will return as the character for the final season of the show.

“I think we’re going to do 10 or more so episodes” : Josh Lucas reveals of the final season of #YellowstoneTV pic.twitter.com/WFaSf3MWRw

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 15, 2024

The actor revealed that part 2 will be “10 episodes or so,” which, while still vague, does narrow it down a bit in terms of how many times we’ll see the Dutton clan this season.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
Everything you need to know about 1883 season 2
Tim McGraw holds a gun over his shoulder in a scene from 1883.

Since the debut of Yellowstone in 2018, the series has grown into one of Paramount's most valuable TV and streaming franchises. So much so that series co-creator Taylor Sheridan was given the freedom to create multiple Yellowstone prequel series for Paramount+. The first prequel, 1883, arrived in 2021, and it has proven to be popular with fans in its own right.

The series 1883 is set in the Old West long before the Dutton family established itself on the Yellowstone Ranch. Sam Elliott headlined the series as Shea Brennan, with Tim McGraw as James Dutton, the great-great-grandfather of Kevin Costner's John Dutton from Yellowstone. The rest of the cast includes Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, and Audie Rick.

Read more
Everything you need to know about Alien: Romulus
Cailee Spaeny in Alien: Romulus.

There's a distinction that few people make with Alien's famous "In space, no one can hear you scream" tagline. That statement is only true in the vacuum of space. Inside of a spaceship, the screams are perfectly audible, and it sounds like there's going to be a lot of screaming in the next film in the series, Alien: Romulus.

It's no secret that the films after Ridley Scott's Alien embraced action over horror. But Alien: Romulus is getting back to the franchise's horror roots thanks to director and co-writer Fede Álvarez. Prior to this film, Álvarez established himself in the horror genre with his terrific remake of Evil Dead as well as his original film Don't Breathe. That's the sensibility that Álvarez is bringing to Alien: Romulus.

Read more
Everything you need to know about Peacemaker season 2
Peacemaker promo featuring the show's main cast.

Peacemaker, the unexpected Max hit that premiered in early 2022 and surprised everyone with its irreverent humor and heartwarming approach, will return for a second season. Peacemaker (John Cena) is the breakout character from James Gunn's The Suicide Squad. The show has taken the character to the next level and effectively turned what was a D-list DC villain into a bona fide star.

Although not much is known about Peacemaker season 2, one thing is for sure: fans can expect more of the wacky, violent, and subversive humor that made the show's first season such a hit to begin with. Still, there have been a few tidbits about the show's status from Gunn, Cena, and others, so here's everything we know about the upcoming season of Peacemaker.
Who is Peacemaker?

Read more