New report details Kevin Costner’s near fight with ‘Yellowstone’ co-star on set
A new article about Kevin Costner provides insight into his dramatic exit from “Yellowstone.”
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, The Hollywood Reporter published a lengthy look into the actor’s career titled, “How Kevin Costner Lost Hollywood.” The article delved into Costner’s more than three-decade career and his “on-set brawls,” “courtroom battles” and “epic bombs.”
Chief among the information dug up in the piece is about Costner’s much-publicized exit from “Yellowstone” after five seasons. Here’s what to know.
An almost brawl on ‘Yellowstone’ set
THR’s article opens with an anecdote about Costner and co-stars Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly on the “Yellowstone” set.
As the story goes, the trio were filming around a kitchen table on a soundstage in Utah when the vibe shifted. Tensions began to boil over as Costner pushed Bentley to blow off show creator Taylor Sheridan’s script and play the moment his way.
Bentley refused and told Costner that he signed on for a Sheridan-scribed show, not a “Kevin Costner production.”
Costner didn’t take Bentley’s note well and allegedly lunged at him, according to THR. No fists were thrown on set but the actors were in each other’s faces, pushing and shoving until they had to be separated.
Reilly was in tears and production briefly shut down until cooler heads prevailed.
“The incident with Wes was the line in the sand. Everything was different after that,” sources told THR. “Everyone loved Wes and so that really made Taylor upset. Kevin and Taylor butted heads from there on out. It got very awkward.”
A spokesperson for Bentley confirmed the altercation to THR, calling it a “work related argument during an emotional and physically tough scene.” Costner’s spokesperson declined to comment to THR on the matter.
Kevin Costner’s exit from ‘Yellowstone’
In 2017, Costner was cast in “Yellowstone” as family patriarch John Dutton III.
The first couple seasons of the show were a great success, but as the series went on Costner became a “polarizing figure,” according to THR. Certain cast members grew fed up with his “diva-like” behavior.
Things also go tricky when Sheridan made the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883,” which came around the same time Costner had circulated a script for his four-film Western project “Horizon: An American Saga.” Costner had been pitching the idea around Hollywood since the late 1980s as a post-Civil War American epic.
“Nobody was jumping to buy [Costner’s] odyssey and after ‘1883,’ he wanted to prove everyone wrong,” a source told THR. “He was obsessively pursuing it and as a result his world on ‘Yellowstone’ starts unravelling.”
In early 2023, there were reports about how “Yellowstone” season 5 would be Costner’s last on the show.
Reportedly, Costner wanted to spend no more than a week filming “Yellowstone” as he worked on “Horizon.” Costner’s camp fired back and alleged that Sheridan was the problem due to his late delivery of scripts.
In end, THR notes that Costner presented Paramount and “Yellowstone” producers with a list of demands required for his return to the show, including a $10 million upfront payment and script approval. Costner’s demands were rejected and it was agreed upon that his character would be killed off in the first episode of the second half of season 5.
At his peak, THR writes that Costner was being paid about $1.5 million per episode with a potential seasonal earning of more than $10 million.
“Yellowstone” was originally envisioned to run for six seasons, however, based on its success it could have gone for eight seasons, according to a “Yellowstone” source who talked to THR. This means that Costner could have landed around $45 million in pay if the show went the distance.
Will Costner finish the ‘Horizon’ films?
That remains to be seen.
The first two films are complete and were both supposed to release in theaters last year. The first chapter released in theaters in June 2024 and the second was planned to release about two months later in mid-August.
However, after the first chapter tanked at the box office, Warner Bros. pulled the second film from the release calendar.
The second “Horizon” film did screen at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival and the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. But as of this writing, the film still does not have a wide release date.
As THR reports, Costner is on the hunt for more financing to make the third and fourth “Horizon” films. Last year while in Saudi Arabia to accept an award, Costner spoke to top Saudi officials about financing the films, but left empty-handed.
For folks curious to see Costner’s vision, the first “Horizon” film is currently streaming on HBO Max.
