Yellowstone Star Responds To Costner Drama & Season 5 Delay Reports

Yellowstone star Wes Bentley responds to controversies surrounding lead actor Kevin Costner and a potential season 5 delay following recent reports.

Yellowstone star Wes Bentley offers his perspective on recent reports suggesting drama regarding lead actor Kevin Costner’s schedule and a speculated season 5 filming delay. The first part of season 5 premiered on Paramount Network on November 13, 2022, with the second part previously expected to debut later in 2023. However, the reported heated drama between Costner and Yellowstone‘s co-creator Taylor Sheridan became the central buzz across the media, leaving uncertainties about season 5’s remaining episodes and the show’s overall future.

While there are no new updates about the second part of Yellowstone season 5, Bentley, who portrays ambitious attorney general Jamie Dutton, offered his own perspective on season 5’s reported troubled production in an EW interview at SCAD TVFest. While Bentley firmly stated that reports surrounding the conflict were production aspects he wasn’t involved in, he explained that all parties involved were dedicated to finding a solution that would allow production to continue with fewer issues. Check out Bentley’s full response below:

“The news that’s come out recently about the show is, you know, it’s above my pay grade. Different people making decisions. I know that they’re still working on… working things out with everyone, to make sure we shoot. And I’m confident we will. We always have before. I think it’s probably a bit of drama over nothing.”

Related: Yellowstone’s Future Is In Spinoffs (Not John Dutton)

Yellowstone Season 5 Drama Explained

While the franchise enjoyed several recent successes, including the launch of spin-off 1923 and Yellowstone reaching new streaming records, many reports about season 5’s production and the show’s potential future have pulled back the curtain on various conflicts behind the scenes. While part of season 5 has already aired, the remaining episodes of Yellowstone are reportedly unable to film due to Costner being preoccupied with Horizon 2, a sequel to his upcoming passion project, the western epic Horizon. With Costner focused elsewhere, it was reported that Sheridan is unsure how to proceed without a clear indication of when the leading star will be available, suggesting that the actor hasn’t made himself available to the terms in his established contract.

With Costner’s schedule likely to result in a filming delay for Yellowstone season 5 that casts on part 2’s 2023 release, other reports suggest the star may prepare to step away from the franchise following the remaining episode’s productions wrapping. With Yellowstone having expanded into various spin-offs, it was rumored that the main series will conclude with season 5, while Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey is being eyed as a potential lead for a successor series. Furthermore, Sheridan and Bentley have previously stated an ending has been planned, hinting that a conclusion could be reached soon.

Yellowstone has seen no shortage of controversy across its run, both with production and distribution. Beyond issues with Costner’s schedule, Yellowstones‘ success took Paramount by surprise, providing rival streaming service Peacock with high ratings in a deal later regarded as “Unfortunate.” Despite recently reported troubles, Bentley’s optimistic response suggests all parties involved are eager to find a solution to Yellowstone‘s recent drama.

More: Yellowstone Already Has The Perfect Replacement For Costner’s John Dutton

Source: EW