'Yellowstone' star Luke Grimes says Kevin Costner's exit from hit show was a surprise
Grimes told Fox News Digital that he wished the show had a chance to produce "a better goodbye" for fans.
"Yellowstone" fans picked up on a possible clue about the show's future after Sunday's episode.
While promoting the next episode, the announcer revealed, "Only one episode left until the season finale of ‘Yellowstone.’" The choice of words sparked speculation that the Dec. 15 episode is just the "season finale" and not the "series finale."
"[That] was one of the best hours of television, EVER. My goodness. One question though – How in the world will they wrap all of this up in 2 episodes?" one viewer wrote on X. "I did notice that SEASON finale line instead of SERIES finale line. That didn't go unnoticed."
Another wrote, "Did anyone catch on the previews how they said ‘Yellowstone’ season finale, not series finale. Any hints that there is another season?"
‘YELLOWSTONE’ MAY CONTINUE WITHOUT KEVIN COSTNER IN LEAD ROLE FOR ANOTHER SEASON
Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly star as one of the show's main couples, Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton. (Paramount)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the show for comment.
While no official news about a possible sixth season has been confirmed, reports have indicated the show might go on with a new lead. Negotiations for a sixth season of the Paramount show were underway, Deadline reported in August.
No deals had been reached at the time, sources told the outlet, but "Yellowstone" will likely continue with Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly, who play Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton, as the leads.
The second half of "Yellowstone" season five premiered on Nov. 10 without Kevin Costner.
"…I know that there’s some stuff on the horizon when it comes to Taylor [Sheridan's] ideas for Kelly Reilly and myself, and some of the other cast. I’m excited to see where he goes creatively with that. But right now, it’s just: Let’s finish strong; let’s do the best we can."
"Yellowstone" star Cole Hauser has spoken about rumors of a possible season 6 of the hit show. (Getty Images)
Hauser previously hinted at a possible spinoff show in April.
"I’m so focused on finishing ‘Yellowstone’ the way it needs to be finished right now – well, just the show itself," Hauser told Country Living. "We’ll see where that leads."
"But I know that there’s some stuff on the horizon when it comes to Taylor’s ideas for Kelly Reilly and myself, and some of the other cast," Hauser said. "I’m excited to see where he goes creatively with that. But right now, it’s just: Let’s finish strong; let’s do the best we can."
WATCH: ‘YELLOWSTONE’ STAR COLE HAUSER ADDRESSES SEASON SIX RUMORS
In September, Hauser touched on the rumors to Fox News Digital, noting that he is "a hired gun" and does not get to make all the decisions.
"I can't comment right now, but I mean, listen, in a perfect world, I think it would be amazing to see this thing go on, but there's a lot of different people involved in that decision," Hauser said at the time.
"I'm a hired gun. I ain't a producer, I ain't the studio head, just a hired gun. But I hope so. I hope it really happens because it would be fun."
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Kevin Costner starred as John Dutton in "Yellowstone." (Paramount Network)
Costner's character was killed off the Western show in the first episode of the second half of season five. Viewers saw John Dutton's murder staged as a suicide. The moment did not sit well with fans but was praised by "Yellowstone" director Christina Voros.
"I think it is [a] testament to his faith in the characters and the actors who embody them to go, 'Let’s not make this about the incident. Let’s make this about how these human beings exist in the aftermath,'" Voros told The Hollywood Reporter. "That was more interesting to [Taylor] than the incident itself."
"Death and birth are the two constants in our human experience," she added. "They are the most pivotal moments in our lives, and yet they are the most pedestrian elements of being a human being. What’s interesting about birth and death is not the birth and death itself, but the way it affects us as people. To me, I think that was the driving force in telling the story this way. He’s asked, ‘How does everybody else survive and what do they do?’ And that’s where the mystery is. That is where the unraveling is. That is where the story is."
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Kevin Costner, left, did not return for the second half of "Yellowstone" season 5. (Paramount Network)
The "Field of Dreams" star exited "Yellowstone" after five seasons.
Costner's drama with "Yellowstone" was thrown into the spotlight as he and his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner went to court over child custody in 2023. Fox News Digital learned what led to the breakdown between Costner and show executives in the courtroom.
Costner was "offered" to "do season 6," but it was "complicated," according to the actor.
"We did negotiate," he explained. "There were issues about creative. I tried to break the logjam. They walked away."
Kevin Costner chose to focus on his passion project, "Horizon," instead of returning to the hit show. (Warner Bros.)
Costner seemingly had issues with the timing of filming "Yellowstone" as he wanted to focus on his latest project, "Horizon." The first movie in the four-part saga was in post-production at the time, a "critical" time of putting things together. "I'm here," Costner emphasized.
"Somewhere along the line they wanted to change things," he said of the "Yellowstone" filming process. "They wanted to do 5A and 5B… affected ‘Horizon.’ I was going to do my movie ‘Horizon’ and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice."
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