Superstar Kevin Costner opened up about what caused him to leave his hit Paramount TV series “Yellowstone” and hinted that a possible court battle could be in his future over the series ending at the end of Season 5.
During the 68-year-old actor’s appearance on Friday in court to deal with his custody battle over his monthly child support payments to his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner for the care of their three children, the “Yellowstone” star was asked about the drama on the series after it was reported he walked away from the show, Fox News noted.
“Somewhere along the line they wanted to change things,” Costner said of the “Yellowstone” filming process. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B … affected ‘Horizon.’ I was going to do my movie ‘Horizon’ and leave that show, do my movie, then do B.”
Kevin Costner breaks silence on 'Yellowstone' exit and explains why he left the hit show https://t.co/94Ns4Jgu57
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) September 5, 2023
“Horizon: An American Saga,” a four-part movie series, is currently in “post production” and the “Field of Dreams” star said the production schedule of his western drama came at a “critical” time in the process.
“A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice,” the Hollywood star said, noting that he had originally been offered $24 million to do seasons five, six and seven before all the scheduling drama and “Yellowstone” was canceled.
“I will probably go to court over it,” Costner added, when asked by Baumgartner’s lawyer if he had received a payout for Season 5.
When pressed by her attorney if he was “offered” to “do season six,” the actor said it was “complicated,” the outlet noted.
“We did negotiate,” he added. “There were issues about creative. I tried to break the log jam. They walked away.”
Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that Costner was leaving the show at the height of its popularity. At the time, some speculated that Baumgartner had pressured him to do so before their split. She filed for divorce on May 1 from “The Postman” star after 18 years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
The “Dances with Wolves” star was previously married to Cindy Costner, with whom he shares three children: Annie, 39, Lily, 37, and Joe, 35. The couple divorced in 1994. He also has a son, Liam, 27, with Bridget Rooney.