Yellowstone season 5 part 2 is all drama, and the episodes aren’t even out yet. But we do come bearing good news, readers, because we just heard when production is set to finally start! The first half of the fifth season premiered on the Paramount Network on Nov. 13, 2022. Fans got to watch eight new episodes of the series before the first half of the season came to an end on Jan. 1, 2023.
Since then, it’s been a WILD RIDE, to say the least, and fans are anxious about the return of Yellowstone. I can’t even begin to fathom all of the rumors we’ve heard about the future of the franchise, including the reported tensions between Kevin Costner and production. Filming was supposed to begin on part 2 in the summer of 2023, according to People, and the episodes were expected to premiere in November. Of course, because of the WGA and SAG strikes and potentially other reasons, that didn’t happen.
But fortunately, Deadline reports on Nov. 16 that filming is set to begin in late spring of 2024. That’s not as soon as we’d hoped, of course, but the even better news is that we already know when part 2 is slated to premiere.
When does Yellowstone return with new episodes?
The Paramount Network has confirmed that Yellowstone season 5 part 2 will premiere in November 2024. Though we don’t have an exact release date yet, at least we can mark our calendars for a year from now to see the remaining episodes. I know it’s a long time to keep waiting, but fortunately, now that the SAG strike is over we might get exciting updates from the set or behind-the-scenes photos.
The show’s creator Taylor Sheridan revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he has not decided on the episode count for part 2 yet, and it will be determined at a later date: “If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they’ll give me 10. It’ll be as long as it needs to be.”
The biggest reason we have to wait so long for the remainder of Yellowstone season 5 is because of the strikes. The writers’ union, WGA, went on strike in May, and that pushed back the start date. Then, the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, went on strike in July. The writers’ strike ended in September, but the actors’ strike continued until November. So that meant that even if part 2 was written, the actors could not film the episodes.
The actors’ strike has come to an end, which is great news for the entertainment industry. We’re not sure why Yellowstone can’t start filming sooner than spring 2024, but at least they’ve got a schedule planned out and we’ll be seeing the episodes next year for certain.
Kevin Costner’s involvement in Yellowstone
A lot of rumors about the fate of Yellowstone have been about star Kevin Costner and his availability. As far as we know, Costner will return for season 5 part 2, but not in a full capacity.
We do know that it’s been reported that Costner will not return for any future episodes after the end of Yellowstone season 5. That’s the last we’ll see Costner in Yellowstone if the reports are true. It doesn’t seem right that Yellowstone and Costner would ride into the sunset like this, but that’s to be determined. Sheridan told THR the following about Costner’s exit:
"My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did."
But since part 2 hasn’t started filming yet, we’re not sure if Costner filmed those scenes that they were able to agree on. How Costner will leave the series is potentially still in the works, but Sheridan knows John Dutton, the character Costner plays, won’t be killed in a car crash, according to THR:
"“I don’t do f***-you car crashes. Whether [Dutton’s fate] inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults it is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.”"
As for his opinion on Costner, Sheridan told the outlet the following:
"My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered. His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one…I’m disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it."
From the looks of things, there are a few reasons Costner is leaving Yellowstone. As mentioned, Costner is starring, directing, co-writing, and co-producing Horizon: An American Saga, a four-part movie series. That is rumored to be why Costner was trying to work out the filming schedules for Yellowstone season 5 and Horizon.
In addition, Costner, while in court over child support proceedings, shared a few more reasons why he’s leaving Yellowstone. According to People, Costner told the court he was in negotiations to return for a sixth season, but he was offered less to return. Here’s what he told the court, via People:
"“We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative…”"
It’s still unclear exactly how Costner will leave the series or what the future holds for his role in the franchise.
Cast
Here’s who we’re expecting to return in the remaining episodes of season 5:
- Kevin Costner as John Dutton
- Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton
- Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton
- Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton
- Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler
- Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long Dutton
- Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton
- Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstrom
- Forrie Smith as Lloyd Pierce
- Denim Richards as Colby Mayfield
- Ian Bohen as Ryan
- Finn Little as Carter
- Ryan Bingham as Walker
- Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater
- Jen Landon as Teeter
- Kathryn Kelly as Emily
- Moses Brings Plenty as Mo
- Wendy Moniz as Governor Lynelle Perry
- Dawn Olivieri as Sarah Atwood
- Josh Lucas as Young John Dutton
Country artist Lainey Wilson, whose music has been featured several times in the series, is open to returning in the final leg of the show to reprise the role of Abby. In an interview with Rob + Holly, which was released Aug. 14, she said the following:
"I talked to Taylor Sheridan the other day and there’s a plan. Now we just gotta see if that plan happens. I laugh and say, ‘they didn’t take me to the train station,’ so, we’ll see what happens on that end. I told him, I said, ‘Give me the green light,’ we gon’ be smack dab in the middle of touring, but we’ll figure it out."
So, if it’s up to her, she’ll be back for Yellowstone‘s last ride.
What’s next for the Yellowstone franchise?
There was a lot of chatter about Matthew McConaughey joining Yellowstone earlier this year. And in early November, we got confirmation on what that’ll look like. The Academy Award-winning actor will star in a new spinoff, titled 2024. Little is known about that spinoff yet, but it’s awesome to know the franchise is continuing with such a big star attached. 2024 was announced alongside another spinoff titled 1944, meaning we won’t be saying goodbye to Yellowstone anytime soon.
Sheridan commented on McConaughey’s involvement in the interview with THR earlier this year, which claimed the actor was in negotiations to make it happen at that time:
"“He seems like a natural fit. We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas. Then he started watching Yellowstone and responded to it. He was like, ‘I want to do that.’ And by ‘that’ he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, ‘Buddy, that we can do.’ “"
That’s what we know so far about Yellowstone season 5 part 2. Stay tuned for more information about the final episodes!
FanSided Entertainment Staff contributed to this post.