- No start date has been set for filming the second half of the fifth season.
- Sources blamed creator Taylor Sheridan’s ‘ego’ for stuttering
- They say Costner is set to shoot in January, but no scripts have been finalized.
The end for Paramount Network’s blockbuster series Yellowstone may be fast approaching, according to a new report.
The show is set to end after the second half of its fifth season, sources told The New York Post on Monday.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Paramount.
The issue is that the show’s star, Kevin Costner, wants to significantly reduce his workload for the fifth season to focus on other projects, and it appears to be a conflict between the creator and the show’s host, Taylor Sheridan. Sources have developed a significant ego after becoming a major player in the film and television industry.
A source described as ‘well-placed’ in production said: ‘It’s the same with any show runner and big star – there’s respect, but there’s conflict.’
Adding to the uncertainty surrounding the series is the lack of a resumption date for the second half, which could be disrupted by the upcoming shutdown after members of the Writers Guild of America voted to strike over pay.
Another ‘high-level Hollywood’ source suggested that he was to blame for some of the ‘conflict’ on the sets.
Taylor is the star of the show. He is the most important person on all his shows,’ they said.
The first half of the fifth season wrapped in January, but so far no date has been set to begin production on the second half, which could be vulnerable to a writers’ strike.
However, the source of the product ‘hopefully’ works. It’s too big of an indication that things don’t work out.
‘Hopefully Kevin will be back for the remaining episodes, if they all work together, but it looks like Yellowstone will end after this season.’
But a third source familiar with Sheridan seems to suggest that the writer and director are keeping negotiations close to the vest, making it difficult to understand what’s going on behind the scenes.
“Only Taylor knows exactly what’s going on,” they said cryptically.
According to a Hollywood source, Sheridan’s rise to prominence in the industry late in life boosted her ‘ego’.
“Taylor has gone years without real appreciation in Hollywood, and now that he’s at the top of the ladder, there’s definitely an ego to it all,” they said.
Deadline reported in February that Costner wanted to shoot the second half of the fifth season for just one week after cutting the first half short.
The obvious reason is that the actor wants to focus on his upcoming western franchise Horizon.
But Costner’s lawyer, Marty Singer, told Puck News that his client was only fired for a week after the report was ‘absolutely false’.
‘As anyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and always goes above and beyond to ensure its success,’ he said.
And a Hollywood source seems to confirm that Costner is willing to return to the role, although Sheridan’s lack of preparation in the matter is said to have put a damper on things.
Costner was set to shoot the second half of the season last year as well as in January this year, but there were reportedly no scripts ready to shoot at the time.
Kevin has been extremely collaborative with Taylor and his production company, 101 Studios. They were supposed to shoot the second season of Season Five late last year, but they just didn’t have the scripts, a Hollywood source said.
He added that Sheridan was ‘overburdened’ and ‘not ready at all’ even after Costner presented himself.
Kevin was committed to making his other films. He gave the schedule to the producers, saying, ‘In the entertainment industry, you can’t keep yourself in a honing pattern even if the producers aren’t working together with the script. There was nothing to shoot at.’
Sheridan has expanded its reach significantly in recent years. Although he wrote and directed the entire first season of Yellowstone, he stepped back in subsequent seasons and let other directors fill in, though he continued to write or co-write every script.
But he added several more shows to his portfolio, all with significant creative input from him.
In the year In 2021, his Jeremy Renner-starring series The Mayor of Kingstown premiered, and Sheridan directed two episodes and wrote the entire first season before stepping down for the second season.
He then directed the pilot and wrote every episode of the Yellowstone prequel series 1883, and also wrote the sequel to the 1923 series.
In the year In 2022, Sheridan wrote the pilot for the Sylvester Stallone–starrer series Tulsa King and is currently executive producing the upcoming spy series Lion, starring Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña.
The next series is the Sheridan-created western Bass Reeves, starring David Oyelowo and Dennis Quaid, who is set to direct the pilot.
It looks like Paramount is hedging its bets on Costner. Although Paramount Network president Keith Cox says they are ‘very confident. [Costner]’Our Show Goes On,” the network’s Yellowstone spinoff starring Matthew McConaughey, will continue whether Yellowstone goes on or not.
However, Paramount may have a financial incentive to end Yellowstone. The series airs live on the Paramount Network, but airs on the NBC service Peacock due to a licensing deal.
Peacock will retain the rights to Yellowstone for four years after the final episode airs, meaning the longer the show can hold onto the distinction.
However, subsequent Yellowstone spinoffs — and Sheridan’s other shows — air on Paramount+ streaming.
‘Paramount doesn’t want Yellowstone on the air for more than a year. [and competing with their shows]. They prefer to have a new one [Sheridan] Show with Paramount+,” a Hollywood source explained.
He added: ‘It’s a great show for Kevin. It pays him a lot of money and helps him get back on his feet.’
A number of sources have mentioned that a silver lining to the continuation of the Yellowstone process is that potential writers Sheridan and Costner may be allowed to continue hammering together.
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