It looks like Kevin Costner won’t be returning for the final episodes of Yellowstone, but he could wrap up his character’s story by filming just one scene.

The chances of Kevin Costner returning for the final episodes of Yellowstone are looking increasingly bleak, but there’s a satisfying way to get John Dutton on board.

Part of what attracted viewers to the show in the first place was the presence of bona fide movie star Kevin Costner.

The series from the start positioned itself as a modern Western, with John Dutton resorting to whatever means necessary to hold on to his iconic ranch.

While the series can get weird or downright silly in later seasons, Costner’s charm always keeps it grounded.

While it was reported that Costner and creator Taylor Sheridan had clashed over the series’ direction, it came as a surprise when it was confirmed that Costner would leave Yellowstone after season 5. A fifth season was always planned. filming was planned in two parts, but when it came time to schedule the second half, Costner’s focus on the Western series Horizon: An American Saga led to scheduling conflicts. The actor even suggested that he may take legal action over his impending departure, and recent reports suggest that Costner will not appear in the final episodes of Yellowstone. (via Town)

The next episode of Yellowstone may open with the death of John Dutton

Yellowstone has always positioned Dutton as a man born in the wrong era and the only way for him to leave his ranch is death. The show has plenty of other main characters, like John’s daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) or her husband Rip (Cole Hauser), but it’s ultimately John Dutton’s story. Ending the show without this character wouldn’t be ideal, but instead of killing him off-screen or featuring his funeral, the first episode of upcoming Yellowstone season 5 part 2 could open with scene of a wounded Dutton riding his horse to the site on the farm where his father died.

Costner’s Dutton gets to sit there looking out at his farm before dying, while the rest of season 5 focuses on finding out who killed him. The said scene could have been shot in a matter of hours and didn’t even require any dialogue from the star. Not only is this a shocking opening, but it’s also an emotionally satisfying ending for the character. Yellowstone season 2 features a tearful flashback of John taking his dying father John Sr. (Dabney Coleman) arrives here, and in season 4, Costner’s John reveals to Kayce (Luke Grimes) that this is where he proposed to the latter’s mother, too.

It’s a beautiful place overlooking the entire Dutton farm and John seems to visit it when he needs to clear his head or just get some peace. If he had to choose his death spot, this is where he would go. With just one scene, Costner can leave Yellowstone with dignity, and the aftermath of Dutton’s death will be a big hook for the final episodes, including whether his estranged son Jamie ( Wes Bentley) has anything to do with it or not.

Costner’s messy Yellowstone exit puts the show in a difficult position

Ending the film without the main character would be very difficult

The drama behind Costner’s departure will be hard to ignore when the show finally returns. Again, the story has always been about the Dutton family trying to hold on to this land, no matter how much blood was shed for it. The ranch is John’s legacy and it would have been difficult to complete Yellowstone satisfactorily had Costner’s Dutton not appeared. With Sheridan’s previous work, John was always aiming for a tragic ending, but killing off the character between seasons would have felt very counterproductive.

Of course, there’s little the show’s participants can do about that. Sheridan has plenty of other shows – including multiple Yellowstone spinoffs – to focus on, and the franchise will last until the end of the original series. Sheridan could rework the planned final episodes to focus on the various Dutton siblings to wrap up the story, but John’s absence is still hard to ignore.

Is there any hope that Kevin Costner will return for the final episodes of Yellowstone?

The actor appears to have moved on from Yellowstone

There’s still time for Costner, Paramount and the showrunners to resolve their differences before the final episodes go before cameras, but the possibility of his involvement is strong. The actor is currently in the process of separating from Christine Baumgartner, and during his divorce hearing in September 2023 (via THR), Costner said he was considering going to court with Paramount about leaving Yellowstone.

He claims that they abandoned negotiations over the final episodes and that he is still owed millions. Costner is also working hard on Horizon, which he largely self-funded and has been a passion project for decades. There’s still hope Costner can return as John Dutton in Yellowstone’s ending, but time is running out.