The fifth season of the Paramount Network series Yellowstone will be released later this year, and the channel has been constantly teasing fans on social media with exclusive snaps and clips. However, one essential player in the game, John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, was noticeably missing from the photos released.
One photo shows power couple Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) embracing. Meanwhile, the former’s brother/rival Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) held a press conference in another released image. Another photo shows Keyes Dutton (Luke Grimes), his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill) alive and well after their fatal car accident.
While it hasn’t been confirmed whether Costner’s exit from the show will be explained, it’s possible that his character, John Dutton, could be introduced as a facilitator in the bloody war between siblings Beth and Jamie.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in June, the Dances With Wolves actor confirmed that he would not appear in Yellowstone season 5 due to his commitment to his Horizon film franchise. He said of his exit, “It was just time to move on and do it as gracefully as you can with something that has been so important to you.”
However, in a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said he wanted to move on because he didn’t need the “drama,” adding that it wasn’t a hard decision at all. “It was a necessary decision to say, ‘Hey, okay I don’t really want to talk about this anymore. It’s time to move on,'” he told the outlet.
Although he enjoyed doing five seasons of the show, he wanted to move on. He said, “So, let’s just put that drama to rest, let’s stop speculating.” Costner expressed gratitude to fans for giving him love, promising that he would come up with more projects in the future.
The “drama” the actor was referring to could be about the alleged feud between him and producer Taylor Sheridan. However, the latter denied the rumors and admitted that he was “disappointed” with Costner’s exit. Sheridan also claimed that the actor’s other work commitments were the reason for his exit.
