'Yellowstone' will conclude after season 5
As Kevin Costner pivots from frontman on "Yellowstone" to producer and star of the upcoming project "Horizon: An American Saga," an important question continues to linger: Have we seen the last of his character, John Dutton?
"I'd like to be able to do it, but we haven't been able to – I'm not sure how it's being worked out," Costner admitted of returning to the show for its final season in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
"I've loved making that series. I made five seasons of it. I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we're at five. So how it works out – I hope it does – but they've got a lot of different shows going on."
'YELLOWSTONE' ACTORS ADDRESS RUMORS THE SHOW IS ENDING AMID KEVIN COSTNER DRAMA
Kevin Costner addressed his future as John Dutton on the hit show "Yellowstone." It's been rumored that he won't return for the final season due to scheduling conflicts. (Paramount Network)
Paramount Network has already greenlit a Matthew McConaughey-led spinoff of "Yellowstone." Production is not in the works for the final installment of "Yellowstone," according to several cast members.
"Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does, and I feel really comfortable with [it], I'd love to do it," Costner told ET.
Part one of the series' fifth and final season saw Costner's character embattled with his son Jamie (Wes Bentley), who is looking to expel his father from the governor's office.
Kevin Costner, photographed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, shared that he'd like to return to "Yellowstone" for its fifth season, but isn't sure if it'll work out. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon)
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It was previously rumored Costner would not likely return for the second half of season five. Speculation of a feud between the actor and production was fueled by a delay in shooting new episodes, which was ultimately prolonged due to the Hollywood writers' strike.
Costner expanded on the controversy while in court this summer battling ex-wife Christine Baumgartner. The actor seemingly took issue with the additional production time that was needed to shoot "Yellowstone" while he was working on "Horizon," which will be released later this summer.
In court, Costner shared that he'd been offered $24 million to shoot seasons five, six and seven of the hit show before scheduling conflicts took over.
Kevin Costner attended CinemaCon to promote his upcoming project, "Horizon: An American Saga." (Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Warner Bros)
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Despite the dispute, Costner says he's already envisioned how his character will ride off into the sunset – but isn't sure creator Taylor Sheridan will go in that direction.
Kevin Costner admitted he had already fantasized about the future of his character, John Dutton, but said the storyline is ultimately up to creator Taylor Sheridan. (Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
"Well, you know, he needs to be proactive in what happens," Costner told ET of his character. "And I've kind of had my own fantasy how it might be, but that's Taylor's thing. I said as much to him, you know, a while back. Maybe he doesn't remember. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see."
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to