“Yellowstone,” TV’s top-rated drama, is set to shock fans with a major shakeup after a dispute between star Kevin Costner, the studio, and the creator of the show.
Costner is said to be unhappy with the filming schedule.
Paramount and show creator Taylor Sheridan are preparing to drop Costner like a bad habit and replace him with Matthew McConaughey in a spinoff series, according to reports.
Many of the stars of the current “Yellowstone” will move over to the spinoff show that will star McConaughey if talks progress.
The deal is not confirmed yet, according to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, but talks are in the advanced stage.
Paramount Network released a statement that didn’t dispute the reports, saying: “We have no news to report.
“Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come.
“Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built.
“Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”
In a statement, Paramount Network said: "We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of #YellowstoneTV and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come…Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner” https://t.co/SoJuq3tQGz
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 6, 2023
“Yellowstone” is the top-rated scripted show on broadcast or cable networks this season.
The show is averaging 8.2 million viewers.
It drew more viewers in the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults 18-49, around 2 million, than any primetime network or cable show, excluding sports.
The show already has two blockbuster spinoffs, “1883” and “1923,” neither of which feature Costner.
“1883” and “1923,” both prequels to “Yellowstone,” have been huge hits and are the main drivers for Paramount’s subscription streaming service.
Yellowstone plans to end after failing to come to terms with lead Kevin Costner and spin up an extension of the show with Matthew McConaughey in talks to star. https://t.co/Yvb7Sc9wrg
— anthony.substack.com (@Anthony) February 6, 2023
According to Deadline:
The crux of the issue with the original Yellowstone series involves star Kevin Costner and disagreements over shooting schedules.
Sources tell Deadline that Costner, who had originally limited himself to 65 days of shooting on Yellowstone, only wanted to shoot for 50 days for the first part of the current season.
But for the second batch of episodes of the current, fifth season of Yellowstone, the actor, who just won best television actor in a drama series at the Golden Globes, only wanted to spend a week shooting.
…We are told Paramount Network has declined Costner’s most recent proposal and instead has made the decision to move on to the other show, sources said.
