Kevin Costner has opened up about his potential return to the Yellowstone franchise after a year of tention between him and creator Taylor Sheridan.

Kevin Costner has shared a surprisingly positive outlook on his potential return as Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton, as well as his hope of more seasons to come. The actor has had a reportedly tumultuous relationship with series creator Taylor Sheridan, the result of which was said to have seen Costner demand to work less on the series to focus on his own Horizon movie and Sheridan seemingly decide to end the show after its current fifth season concludes. Despite this, Costner seems to have a peculiarly positive view on his possible return to the series, not only for the conclusion of Season 5, but for more beyond that.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about Horizon: An American Saga, Costner was asked about the Yellowstone franchise, and whether there is a chance of him playing John Dutton again. He said:

“I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to … 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. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”

Kevin Costner Has Thought About How John Dutton’s Story Could End

Even with talk of lawsuits between Costner and Paramount Global over the disputes that led to his reported departure from the series, the Oscar-winner has clearly not stopped thinking about the role of John Dutton. In the same interview, he noted that he has thought about the future of the character that sat at the center of the Yellowstone franchise’s flagship series. He said:

“Well, you know, he needs to be proactive in what happens and I’ve kind of had my own fantasy how it might be,” Costner said, “but that’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”

Fans will have a bit longer to wait as well, with Yellowstone’s fifth season said to arrive in November. In the meantime, the Yellowstone franchise can be streamed on Paramount+, while Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga will debut Chapter 1 in cinemas on June 28 and Chapter Two on August 16.