Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner and the main cast of the popular Paramount series dropped out of a convention at the last minute, further fueling speculation of the main star’s exit.
Fans of the show who shelled out $100 for a ticket to PaleyFest, expecting to see the star-studded cast at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on Saturday night were left disappointed.
Costner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan, along with other stars of the cast, including Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Betley, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver were listed as those attending the screening and Q&A panel. But none of the showed up.
Variety was told that the main cast could not attend due to scheduling conflicts.
But the no-shows only left fans wondering if a second half of Season 5 would actually happen and if Costner would come back.
Last month, Costner reportedly asked Paramount Network executives to let him spend only one week filming the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season.
Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner and the main cast of the popular Paramount series dropped out of PaleyFest at the last minute, further fueling speculation of the main star’s exit
The only cast members who showed up were Josh Lucas, who plays a younger John Dutton, Mo Brings Plenty (‘Mo’), Dawn Olivieri (Sarah Atwood) and Wendy Moniz (Lynette Perry)
Moderator Lynette Rice, Josh Lucas and Dawn Olivieri ‘Yellowstone’, talk about the show during a panet at PaleyFest on Saturday night in Los Angeles
Costner, who just recently won a Golden Globe for his performance as John Dutton on the show, is now directing and starring in his own multipart western epic, Horizon, which he co-wrote with Jon Baird. It has been picked up by Warner Bros Pictures and New Line Cinemas.
But, unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations said, network executives have declined his offer — and are instead moving forward with a new spin-off series starring Matthew McConaughey.
Costner stars in Yellowstone as John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton clan, the proposal frustrated show creator Taylor Sheridan and is said to be causing morale problems among other cast members, which includes Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Gil Birmingham, it was reported last month.
On Saturday night, the only cast members who showed up to the festival were Josh Lucas, who plays a younger John Dutton, Mo Brings Plenty (‘Mo’), Dawn Olivieri (Sarah Atwood) and Wendy Moniz (Lynette Perry).
They held a panel for fans, but did not share any details on the second half of Season 5 as nothing has been filmed. It is not known when the show will start back up.
‘I have no news to report. I just know that Taylor’s writing and we know he’s a prolific writer and I’m excited to see it when it comes,’ Moniz told Yahoo Entertainment on the red carpet Saturday night.
The cast members who did show up did not share any details about the second half of Season 5 as nothing has been filmed. It is not known when the show will start back up
Fans who expected to see the stars took to Twitter to express their anger
Representatives for PaleyFest didn’t immediately respond to Dailymail.com’s request for comment.
Fans who expected to see the stars took to Twitter to express their anger.
‘Yeah as someone who paid over $100 a ticket I’m pretty fn pissed. Quite the bait and switch. People are walking out,’ one person tweeted on Saturday night as the panel began.
Another asked, ‘Will there be refunds for #yellowstone #PaleyFest we drove two hours to the cast you said would be here. What a joke and rip off.’
Yellowstone has been a boon for the cable news network and its streaming platform.
The 68-year-old actor had asked Paramount Network executives to let him spend only one week filming the second half of the fifth season as he works on his own passion project
Costner plays John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton clan, in the hit television show
Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Luke Grimes, Kevin Costner, Taylor Sheridan, Kelsey Asbille and Dave Annable attend the premiere of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Yellowstone’ in 2018
As Deadline reports, the success of prequel series’ 1883 and 1923, as well as expectations for upcoming shows has made the studio less dependent on the hit series as it was just two years ago.
1883, which starred country music stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Sam Elliott premiered in December 2021, and told the story of how the Duttons came to own the sprawling Montana-based Dutton Ranch.
It was followed the next year by 1923, which stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. The show is set to return for a second and final season, chronicling the family’s problems during Western expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.
Sheridan is also said to be planning two other limited series documenting the family’s struggles to hold onto the ranch in the 1940s and 1960s.
