Summary
- Yellowstone season five’s final episodes will be released in November 2024, after numerous delays and scheduling controversies.
- Two spin-off series titled 1944 and 2024 have been greenlit and will continue the complex and compelling storytelling of the franchise.
- There is a possibility that Kevin Costner’s character, John Dutton, could still appear in the final episodes of Yellowstone season five, despite the perceived friction between Costner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan.
Yellowstone’s days are officially numbered. Fans have waited an eternity to see the second half of Yellowstone season five, which were officially supposed to drop over the summer. However, the Kevin Costner controversy initially delayed the series’ return, and then the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes came into play. But now, at long last, Yellowstone’s final episodes have been scheduled to release on the Paramount Network in November of 2024. And two brand-new, spin-off series have been greenlit. President and CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, Chris McCarthy, said (per Deadline):
“Within five years, we grew ‘Yellowstone’ from a hit U.S. cable show with five million viewers into a global hit franchise with over 100 million fans around the world and multiple extensions – and we’re just getting started.
On the heels of ‘1883’ and ‘1923’s’ success, our new planned spinoffs, ‘1944’ and ‘2024,’ will take audiences on a thrilling, new and unexpected journey with the complex and compelling storytelling that has become a hallmark of the franchise and has helped turn it into a worldwide cultural phenomenon – thanks to the creative mastermind of Taylor Sheridan.”
And while the trade doesn’t name its source, Deadline reports that “it is possible for him to be in Yellowstone’s final episodes.” The “him” being referred to is John Dutton himself Kevin Costner! So, despite all the scheduling controversies and the so-called bad blood between Costner and Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan, John Dutton could still show up in the remainder of season five rather than simply being killed off.
Related: Yellowstone: Every Major Character, Ranked by Likability
2024 Marks the End for Yellowstone?
Release Date June 20, 2018
Cast Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelsey Chow, Cole Hauser, Gil Birmingham, Danny Huston
Main Genre Drama
According to Variety, “an individual with knowledge of the series” says that the upcoming spin-off 2024 will feature a new cast and brand-new locations. However, the same source acknowledges that there will also be “crossover” characters who will appear in 2024. So, the latest spin-off in the Yellowstone franchise could include the likes of the show’s actors Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly and Wes Bentley, depending on their characters’ respective fates in the second half of Yellowstone.
President and CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, Chris McCarthy, made no mention of direct sequels to either 1883 or 1923. The Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren-led 1923 left off on a cliffhanger teasing the return of Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) to aid Jacob (Ford) and Cara (Mirren) against the tyranny of Mr. Whitfield (Timothy Dalton). Meanwhile, the CEO of 101 Studios, David Glasser, is thrilled to bring the new spin-offs to fans. Glasser said (per Deadline):
“The global success of Yellowstone continues to thrill and excite us at 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch. This has been such an exhilarating ride with our partners at MTV Entertainment Studios, and we can’t wait to bring 1944 and 2024 to audiences everywhere.”
It will be interesting to see what form 1944 takes in the Yellowstone franchise, and which legacy characters, if any, will appear in some capacity. Meanwhile, the highly anticipated Matthew McConaughey-led sequel 2024 could reach an even wider audience having the potential to appeal not only to Yellowstone fans (if some of those characters indeed crossover) but an entirely new fandom who McConaughey clearly beguiles.
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