Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan in conflict over Yellowstone

A lot of people want more, as they say, and perhaps Kevin Costner is the one who personifies that expression right now. At least if the rumours that the actor has made himself impossible to work with are true. So much so that the fifth season of Yellowstone looked for a while like it would have to be terminated early, as Paramount and Costner couldn't agree on the schedule, where he wanted to cut the filming time in the contract from 65 days to 50 for the first half of the season and only one week for the remaining eight episodes. This is said to have caused a lot of trouble for director Taylor Sheridan and has also caused dissatisfaction among the other actors, who feel that the star has too big an ego. The rift is said to have led Sheridan to consider ending the series after five seasons and moving on to a new series starring Matthew McConaughey. Paramount then issued a press release touching on this:

"We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that's the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we'd love to partner."

Kevin Costner, of course, shot down the rumour, saying there are no collaboration problems and sent his lawyer forward with the following statement in the hope of killing the discussion:

"The idea that Kevin was only willing to work one week on the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie. It's ridiculous — and anyone suggesting it shouldn't be believed for one second. As everyone who knows anything about Kevin and is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success."

However, the rumour mill continues with new reports that it is not just a matter of disagreement over the shooting schedule and the dissatisfaction of the rest of the cast, but that there is also dissatisfaction over salaries. ET Canada has interviewed Matthew Belloni, co-founder of Puck News and former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, and he claims to be sitting on information that Costner will receive a hefty pay rise to take on a sixth season. Kevin, who is already one of the highest paid in the TV industry at around $12 million per episode, now wants $15 million to continue, which would give him over $200 million for 16 episodes. However, the row is allegedly mainly due to the actor demanding "overtime pay", something that rarely exists in Hollywood for a lead actor who is there to promote "his" film or series. It's a bit of an unwritten rule, that you put yourself out there and do whatever it takes, even if a shoot is delayed. Especially when it comes to such well-paid stars as in this case. In Belloni's own words:

"According to my sources, Costner makes about $1.2 million per episode for Yellowstone, and that's in addition to an overall deal that he has which pays him extra money. So he makes more than $20 million a season if it goes 16 episodes, as is planned this season. If 'Yellowstone is picked up for a 6th season, and Costner is on the show for the 6th season, he will get $1.5 million per episode.

"The way Yellowstone is shot is that Costner comes to the set for a certain period of time and he is taking the position that, for anything outside of his contractually obligated time during shooting, he should be paid extra for it. But in Hollywood, it's sort of an unwritten rule that you promote your show or your movie when it comes time to do that. Costner was asking for extra money to promote his show and that was seen by producers as a little bit of a money grab for a guy who was paid extraordinarily well for his services."

He also thinks it will be difficult to return after all the drama behind the scenes and says this about Costner's future with Sheridan:

"I think the negativity right now has gotten to a point where it's going to be very difficult for him to come back to the show. If I had to bet, I would say that he's probably going to leave and that the show will end and they will do a new version of Yellowstone starring Matthew McConaughey, some other actor... maybe they end it entirely and start fresh with new people. But my guess is that the version of Yellowstone that we know is probably going to end with this season."

It's all rumour and conjecture, of course, with nothing confirmed or denied, but no smoke without fire, as the old saying goes, and until it's all sorted out, it seems no better than that Yellowstone will be in limbo.