Kevin Costner Begged To Get Back On Yellowstone, Contract Included Bizarre Death Clause: REPORT
The drama surrounding "Yellowstone" and Kevin Costner keeps getting crazier.
The man responsible for playing John Dutton recently hinted in court that lawsuits might be coming over the future of the hit western series, and it seems unlikely right now that Costner ever appears on "Yellowstone" again whenever season five wraps up.
However, the star actor apparently attempted to get back in on the mix when things collapsed, according to a stunning report from Puck.
Kevin Costner reportedly wanted back in on "Yellowstone."
"I’d heard that Costner’s reps were basically begging for Sheridan and Paramount to have him back for 5B and possibly Seasons 6 and 7," Matthew Belloni reported.
"Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan and Costner had a call in July, but the latter's demands to return reportedly were simply too much for arguably the most powerful creator in entertainment to entertain.
Costner allegedly wanted "the right to review, approve and potentially veto every Sheridan script" and the man famous for creating the Paramount Network hit wasn't having any of it.
Puck further reported "it’s now more likely than ever that Costner won’t return" to "Yellowstone," and other members of the cast "are happy to see Costner and his personal dramas gone."
Costner's contract allowed some level of say on John Dutton's death.
One of the most shocking parts about the Puck report was the fact Costner's "Yellowstone" deal included a "moral death" provision that meant there were certain ways that John Dutton couldn't be killed off.
Specifically, the clause banned the Dutton patriarch from being killed off in ways "that would cause shame or embarrassment to John Dutton - and, implicitly, to Costner and his family," according to the Puck report.
While Sheridan wasn't ready to let Costner veto any part of the script, they apparently had already come to some kind of agreement on what the ending would look like and how Costner's legendary character could NOT be killed off.
That also seems to be a crystal clear indication John Dutton's ultimate fate was always to die. That's only made clearer by the fact Sheridan reportedly wrote the scripts for 5B without Costner in mind.
The "Yellowstone" drama remains insane, and it's also unfortunate. Fans invested years into this show, and now Costner doesn't seem likely to return to finish things out. Let's just hope whatever ending Taylor Sheridan gives fans lives up to the hype.