After years of anticipation, production officially began filming Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 — the final chapter of the hit neo‑Western — with a bang behind the scenes in Montana, marking a dramatic return to set following extended delays, strikes, and blockbuster schedule clashes. This is the moment fans have waited years for, but one huge question continues to hover over the production: will Kevin Costner’s iconic John Dutton return? The answer, as of this exclusive update, remains complicated and emotional. Screen Rant+1

🔥 Filming Resumes After Major Delays

After more than a year off the air and months of behind‑the‑scenes drama, Yellowstone finally restarted cameras for the six remaining episodes of Season 5 between spring and summer 2024. Production is taking place on location in Montana and at Chief Joseph Ranch — the series’ signature home base — with much of the main ensemble back on set to wrap the Dutton family saga. Screen Rant

The shooting schedule had faced several significant hurdles:

• Production delays and rewrites following the Writers Guild and SAG‑AFTRA strikes in 2023. HELLO!

• Weather delays due to Montana’s unpredictable seasons. HELLO!

• And of course, the ongoing public debate over Kevin Costner’s future with the show. HELLO!

Despite these challenges, the cast — including stars like Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler) and Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton) — have been confirmed to film and eagerly reunited with the story’s final mission. Hauser himself recently shared that he was “excited to go back to work” with his co‑stars and showrunner Taylor Sheridan, highlighting the strong camaraderie still at the heart of the production. HELLO!

🎬 What About Kevin Costner?

Here’s where things get explosive.

After playing John Dutton III for five seasons — a role that anchored Yellowstone’s emotional, thematic, and narrative core — Kevin Costner announced that he would not be returning for the final episodes of Season 5 Part 2 or future installments. Costner himself confirmed via social media that he was unable to participate due to other commitments, particularly his multi‑part Western film project Horizon: An American Saga. HELLO!

In his announcement, Costner said:

“After this long year and a half of working on ‘Horizon’… I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future… I love it and I know you loved it… I’ll see you at the movies.” HELLO!

This was a shock to many fans, especially because Costner had previously suggested he might return to wrap up John Dutton’s arc properly. In interviews earlier in 2024, he said he “would love to” reprise the role if circumstances aligned, though that never came to pass in production negotiations. TV Insider

👀 The Reality of His Absence

So what does this mean for the story? In the premiere of Season 5 Part 2 (which aired Nov. 10, 2024), viewers learned that John Dutton dies off‑screen from a gunshot wound — a powerful and somber moment that reflected Costner’s real‑world exit from the series. TVGuide.com+1

The creative team confirmed that the narrative pivot was already in place when Costner chose not to return, and production proceeded to film the final episodes accordingly. In other words: there is no surprise cameo or hidden return from Costner currently planned. HELLO!

Despite this, Costner’s relationship with the franchise hasn’t completely closed. In past interviews he hinted that under the right conditions — whether for spin‑off projects or another Yellowstone extension in the future — he’d be open to coming back. Writers and producers, for their part, have left the door at least partly ajar, emphasizing his place in the show’s legacy. HELLO!

🎥 What Part 2 Filming Looks Like

With Part 2 underway, here’s what production is delivering:

🔹 A focus on legacy storytelling
The final episodes pivot heavily toward finishing arcs for the remaining Duttons — especially Jamie, Rip, Beth, and Kayce — and resolving long‑standing conflicts with external enemies like market sharks, rival families, and political foes.

🔹 Emotional confrontations
Several set photos and reports suggest intense scenes between Rip and Beth, family reckonings, and consequences stemming from the explosive events of earlier episodes.

🔹 New and returning faces
While Costner is absent, the extended ensemble — including Luke Grimes as Kayce — returns for critical role developments. Some spin‑off seeds and future character setups are also being hinted at behind the scenes. Screen Rant

📅 Release and What It Means

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 officially premiered its first episode on November 10, 2024 on the Paramount Network and later made available for streaming on Peacock in March 2025. TVGuide.com

The show’s final six episodes will wrap the main Dutton saga and set the stage for future extensions of the franchise — with potential spin‑offs like the announced Y: Marshals (following Kayce Dutton) already in the pipeline. People.com

🐎 What’s Next for the Yellowstone Universe

Even with Costner’s absence, the Yellowstone universe isn’t going away. Creator Taylor Sheridan has built a sprawling narrative history that includes prequels like 1883 and 1923, and spin‑offs like Y: Marshals are ready to keep the Dutton legacy alive. People.com

But the return to filming — after strikes, weather setbacks, and scheduling clashes — is itself a huge event: the final episodes are shaping up to deliver closure, tension, and dramatic energy worthy of the series’ massive fan base.

Covid and strikes aside, the end of Yellowstone’s main storyline in Part 2 is one of the most anticipated television events of the year, marking the culmination of five seasons of Western drama in America’s modern frontier.