Yellowstone Officially Ending This Year But The Franchise Lives On
Yellowstone is ending this year at the end of Season 5 with a planned sequel series in production.
The flagship Yellowstone series will end in November, but a new sequel series will begin the following month. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-delayed conclusion to the fifth season of the smash hit Western series will finally move forward after the enormous success of its first half, known as Season 5A. This comes after a period of uncertainty regarding star Kevin Costner‘s involvement and hints at some as-yet-undisclosed conflict behind the scenes.
Though Paramount has not officially disclosed whether Costner will appear in Season 5B of Yellowstone, it has been reported that he will remain through the end of the series run. Scheduling conflicts with the actor have been the primary source of the production pause, with Costner reportedly only agreeing to work for one week on the season. That could be due to his current work as the writer, director, producer, and star of the new Western film, Horizon, which is currently in production in Utah, along with three greenlit, back-to-back sequels at Warner Bros.
The intense production schedule of four continuous movie shoots seems like plenty to keep the Yellowstone star busy, especially wearing so many hats. But it does appear that John Dutton’s hat will remain on his head for at least long enough to finish out the fifth season of the series, which is the most popular offering on broadcast and cable. With its fifth season bringing in some 17 million views, Paramount is likely unhappy that its streaming rights still belong to Peacock, a condition that will not continue as the new series joins the prequels 1883 and 1903 on Paramount+.
Both the delay and the current writers’ strike notwithstanding, Yellowstone‘s production and expansion are moving forward quickly. Having attracted such huge stars as Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren for its prequels, the new series has been widely rumored to star Matthew McConaughey, though no official word has been released. As the series currently shoots in McConaughey’s home state of Texas, we’re guessing the new series won’t be a travel strain for the actor, should he indeed be in the cast.
Meanwhile, Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan is keeping up his famous fast pace, not only working on the prequels and sequels to his Western saga but a total of more than 10 projects for Paramount, all in various stages of release or production, including the Sylvester Stallone series Tulsa King. Paramount is likely very happy to have something besides Star Trek to brag about on its streaming service, and the new Yellowstone series arriving in December will hopefully be a major boost, especially after the company’s recently-reported sagging first quarter. There are no details yet on the plot, length, or full cast of the series, but with Yellowstone in its title and Sheridan at its helm, it is likely to be a huge draw for viewers.
The Yellowstone franchise shows no signs of slowing, leaving us to wonder if more series or films are in the works. Whatever the case, we doubt Sheridan will let any grass grow under his feet before announcing where his cowboy boots will be walking next.
