Earlier this week, we reported on the backlash that poured in over the series finale of the hit show Yellowstone. The controversial episode aired on Sunday night.
Now, Yellowstone’s executive producer Christina Alexandra Voros is admitting that the original plan for the end of the show changed when star Kevin Costner declined to come back to finish off the series.
Costner Leaves Yellowstone
Costner, 69, had played John Dutton on Yellowstone ever since it premiered back in 2018. However, he declined to come back for the second half of the fifth and final season of Yellowstone because filming conflicted with that of his four-part Western series Horizon.
When asked how Costner’s departure impacted the Yellowstone series finale, Voros replied, “I never had a specific conversation with [creator] Taylor Sheridan about where this was going to end prior to Kevin’s departure.”
“I do know that members of the cast have talked about conversations they had with him early on — you know, Season 1 — where they got the sense that he has always known that the ultimate ending has to be the loss of the patriarch and passing on the legacy,” she continued. “But that information is almost secondhand for me, I do know that it changed the ‘how’ if not the ‘what,’ but I wouldn’t be able to talk specifically about what that differential was.”
Voros Doubles Down
“I think the limitations that were put on Taylor with Kevin’s departure really brought out a side of his writing that I know people have mixed feelings about: The flashbacks and the way that the season was structured overall,” Voros added. “I actually thought it brought out a different layer, the way that he puzzled through how to tell this story with the absence of the person that you’re telling the story about…I thought it made for some really interesting creative choices.”
No doubt, it couldn’t have been easy to change entire narratives due to the loss of the main star.
“Sometimes limitations can be the best friend of good art because it forces you to think creatively about things in a way that is not as straightforward as you might have originally planned,” she concluded.
Fans Slam Yellowstone Finale
Unfortunately for Sheridan, Voros, and everyone else involved, however, fans widely panned the Yellowstone series finale.
“That was probably the worst final season in television history,” one disgruntled fan commented. Another bluntly added, “Dumb ending #Yellowstone #YellowstoneTV.”
“It is official. Game of Thrones is no longer the worst final season of any TV show ever,” a third enraged fan went so far as to state. “Yellowstone has taken that award.”
Full Story: ‘Yellowstone’ Stars Break Their Silence Amid Series Finale Backlash
Luke Grimes Rips Costner?
This comes after Luke Grimes, who played Kayce Dutton on Yellowstone, opened up about the positives that came from Costner no longer being on the show.
“Hopefully everyone can see that it was time,” Grimes, 40, told Esquire. “To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone.”
“Obviously, it didn’t make it super fun to be around,” he continued. “Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.”
Costner was definitely missed by fans once he left Yellowstone. However, it appears that he has no regrets about exiting the series. We wish Costner the best of luck with whatever he decides to do in the future!
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