Posted in: Paramount+, TV | Tagged: kevin costner, taylor sheridan, yellowstone

Yellowstone Season 5B Director: John Dutton "Still Central" to Series

While avoiding spoilers, Yellowstone director Christina Voros made it clear that Kevin Costner's John Dutton is "still central" to Season 5B.

With only days to go until the final (???) run of Taylor Sheridan and John Linson's Yellowstone gets underway, there are two major questions that are still burning with fans. Will the six-episode Season 5B really be the end of the hit series? How much of an impact will Kevin Costner's John Dutton have on how everything plays out? Considering the behind-the-scenes drama that went down leading to Costner confirming that he wouldn't be returning to the series, it was surprising to see just how much of a presence he has in the teasers and trailer.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, director Christina Voros – who is helming four of the six "final" chapters, revealed that Costner's "presence is integral" to where the series is heading while also making sure to stay in a spoiler-safe zone. "I think to say any more than that would potentially compromise all the work that went into redacting the scripts! [Laughs] But I think the reason people are wondering, 'Is he, isn't he? Where is he, where is he not?' is because he is the patriarch, and his presence is an essential component of the story. John Dutton is still central."

In terms of how Sheridan handled adjusting the timeline of ending John Dutton's story in light of Costner's departure, Voros shared that it was a "joy" being able to see how Sheridan works and being able to bring those words to life. "It made me feel really lucky to get to direct it. Taylor always has a sense of where something is going to end and the joy is watching him find how we get there," the director explained. "So all I can say is when I read the scripts, I felt tremendously grateful to be a part of telling this chapter in the story."

"The absence was part of the ending. That's not something that we had to pivot, that was already written into the tapestry of the story. It was always going to happen; it just happened a little bit differently," series star Kelly Reilly previously shared with Entertainment Weekly, noting that Costner's absence didn't have in impact on how the series finale would play out. Now, here's a look back at how the show's return came together from the cast and creative team that made it happen:

With the series set to return on Sunday, November 10th, to Paramount Network (8-9 pm ET), CBS viewers will also get a chance to check out the opening episode later that same night (from 10-11 pm ET). Here's how CBS's lineup is looking for that night:

7-7:30 pm ET – "NFL on CBS"

7:30-9 pm ET/7:00-8:30 pm PT – "60 Minutes"

9-10 pm ET/8:30-9:30 pm PT – "Tracker"

10-11 pm ET/9:30-10:30 pm PT – "Yellowstone" Season 5 Part 2 Premiere (exact timing depends on NFL broadcast)

Here's a look back at the date announcement and "Generations" teasers that were released over the summer for the show's return this November:

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution, Paramount Network's Yellowstone is executive-produced by Sheridan, Linson, Costner, Art Linson, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros, and Keith Cox.

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