Taylor Sheridan initially worked on Yellowstone as a film depicting “The Godfather on the largest ranch in Montana.”

The creator of the hit Western drama Taylor Sheridan, is gearing up to start working on the fifth and final season of the series amid speculations about Kevin Costner’s return. The actor, who portrayed the role of John Dutton in the series, took his leave after Season 5 due to scheduling conflicts with his new film Horizon: An American Saga.

However, a revelation by the show’s creator suggests that Costner’s exit and any potential feud with the star could have been avoided if his initial plans for the Dutton family saga had been implemented. It would have offered Costner a more manageable schedule to balance his commitments and potentially remain with the production.

Taylor Sheridan Originally Pitched Yellowstone As a Movie

Prior to his exit, Kevin Costner reportedly wanted to spend less time on the TV series to focus on his movie, Horizon: An American Saga. However, when things did not work out, he opted to depart from the Western drama to focus on his movie venture.

However, his departure from Yellowstone might have been avoided if the makers had pursued Sheridan’s original pitch for the story. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s creator revealed that he wrote the Western drama as a film.

Following his roles in several TV series, Taylor Sheridan transitioned into screenwriting with the 2015 film Sicario. And after working on numerous films like Hell or High Water and Wind River, he embarked on a new project based in Montana.

He pitched it as a film titled The Godfather in Montana. However, the project eventually evolved into a TV series. The actor-director shared that he pitched the story to HBO, who initially agreed to develop it as a series, but later withdrew.

Sheridan also recalled discussing the project’s concept with Costner, describing it as “The Godfather on the largest ranch in Montana.” Ultimately, the story found a home at Paramount and has enjoyed successful runs for five seasons.

Yellowstone Creator Addressed Kevin Costner’s Exit

During the interview, Sheridan also reflected on Kevin Costner’s exit from the series. He shared the discussions that took place between them and the network regarding the actor’s desire to pursue his passion project.

“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct,” Sheridan recounted. He revealed that while there were some conflicts between the network and the actor, he did work out a schedule that would have allowed him to finish the series and further work on his movie.

Sheridan also expressed disappointment with his departure, saying, “I’m disappointed—It truncates the closure of his character.” There have been discussions about Costner returning to film a few scenes for the final season. Costner has also expressed his desire to return to the show. However, nothing has been confirmed so far.