Yellowstone may have been renewed for another season, but there’s deep division within the cast – they bicker over Kevin Costner’s exit and vow to be top dog in the new pecking order, a source exclusively tells Life & Style.
“They’re caught between a rock and a hard place because they want to stay in Taylor Sheridan’s good graces,” the insider dishes, “but some of them do really miss Kevin and feel like it was a huge mistake not figuring out a compromise.”
Despite Paramount+ previously announcing the end of Taylor Sheridan’s hit show, Deadline confirmed that ‘”negotiations are underway for a sixth season,” even with lead Kevin, 69, no longer attached to the project.
The Guardian actor even nabbed a Golden Globe for portraying patriarch John Dutton III on the hit neo-Western, which has been on for five seasons so far — but Hollywood insiders say he butted heads with creator Taylor, 54, over scheduling and left to film the first installment of his own Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga, which was widely panned.
A second source previously dished to Life & Style the Waterworld star, who is no stranger to picking his career back up after a disastrous debut, even secretly hopes his former show flops without him.
“Kevin’s well aware the likes of Taylor Sheridan and other turncoats are probably chuckling over Horizon’s bad viewing numbers, and it’s only strengthened his bitterness and dislike toward them,” that insider said.
“It would give him a lot of quiet satisfaction seeing those guys fall flat on their faces for even attempting to breathe fresh life into the show he sees very much as his baby — not theirs,” the insider added.
“At the end of the day, Kevin thinks the Yellowstone bosses are running around like delusional headless chickens. His bottom line, however egotistical it may sound, is that without his genius — even on a consulting level — it’s not going to work.”
Now, with chaos behind the scenes of Yellowstone mounting, Kevin seems more likely than ever to get his wish.
“Certain cast members are already throwing their weight around a lot more than before,” the first source says.
“When Kevin was a part of the cast, he was the undisputed alpha and very much the leader, but with him gone things have gotten very out of whack.”
“Once they get back on set the void created by his absence is going to be even more glaring,” the insider explains.
Variety reported that show-favorites Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, and Cole Hauser, playing Rip Wheeler, are currently in talks with Paramount to reprise their roles for Season 6, though the studio itself has yet to confirm.
“There’s a big divide already because some people on the cast are moaning about what a big mistake it was to let him go and what a disaster it is and others seem to have this attitude of good riddance because they’re desperate to have more of the limelight,” the source continues.
“It’s created chaos already and will only get worse assuming Season 6 does go ahead as seems to be planned.”
