Kevin Costner as John Dutton looking concerned in Yellowstone
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
Kevin Costner is working on his four-part epic Western film series — Horizon: An American Saga. The first movie premiered in June 2024, and Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 is expected to be released in 2025. As for the third and fourth films, Chapter 3 is in production and Chapter 4 is in development.

So, the cast of Yellowstone season 5, part 2 had to go on without Costner. Since his character was the face of the show, though, the premiere had to explain his absence. Many speculated about John’s fate in the months leading up to the first episode of season 5, part 2. Some thought John would die, while others believed the character would be out of the state. Unfortunately, many viewers’ worst dreams came true. The good news is that Costner is returning to the Yellowstone franchise; the bad news is that his character’s ending will follow him wherever he goes.

Kevin Costner Is Returning To Yellowstone, But Not The Taylor Sheridan Show
The Actor Is Starring In A Docuseries
John Dutton looking frustrated in Yellowstone season 1 episode 5
Starting on Saturday, February 8, Kevin Costner appears in the three-part documentary Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner. The docuseries airs on Fox Nation, dropping episodes weekly. Costner serves as the host and executive producer of Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner, which centers around his journey to walk the same path as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir did during their Yosemite expedition in 1903.

Kevin Costner from Yellowstone and Billy Bob Thornthon from Landman
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Kevin Costner’s Continued Connection To Yellowstone Makes His Character’s Fate More Disappointing
John Dutton III’s Death Is Highly Controversial
Given his involvement in Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner, it’s clear that Yellowstone meant a lot to Kevin Costner. So, while exciting, the new docuseries only makes John Dutton III’s death more frustrating and heartbreaking. It reminds viewers what could have been if Costner hadn’t left Yellowstone before the ending. Everything would have been different. Unfortunately, that is not the reality we live in, and John is truly dead in the Yellowstone universe.