Yellowstone star contemplates the death of John Dutton (Kevin Costner)

Yellowstone is one of the biggest shows on TV right now. The story of the Dutton ranching family has captivated more and more people every season, so it was a shock when Deadline — a very reputable sight known for its accuracy — reported that the show may end early, after the second half of the current fifth season.

The culprit is reportedly star Kevin Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton. He apparently doesn’t want to commit the time necessary to film the show, and rather than work around his schedule, the producers are considering just ending it instead and focusing on prequels and spinoffs.

Now, we should underline that this isn’t confirmed. Paramount put out a statement that kinda-sorta denied it, although there was plenty of wiggle room in there.

Will John Dutton (Kevin Costner) die on Yellowstone?

As it happens, John’s adopted son Jamie (Wes Bentley) is currently trying to have him killed, so perhaps John will die by the end of this season and provide the show with an out. The possibility of the show ending is something Bentley has considered. “I thought about this in Season 1, because it’s always a possibility in TV, right?” he asked TVLine. “We’re always ready to die.”

As for why Jamie wants to kill his adopted dad, it’s been a long time coming. Back before John stopped Jamie’s gubernatorial dreams, Jamie put him on a pedestal. But now things are different. “After John ran for governor and became the thing he said he hated, Jamie started to have a change of perspective,” Bentley said. “Maybe John is not this tough guy he says he is. Maybe John doesn’t have ideas. Maybe he’s just another guy like the rest of them.

"That’s the loss of the pedestal [he was on]. The deity is gone. I think that’s why Jamie’s choosing to try to have him killed. [He realizes that his] life would be much better without him, which is a big change for Jamie."

The second half of Yellowstone season 5 starts up this summer. We’ll see what happens.

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