Kevin Costner breaks his silence over popular character John Dutton's fate in Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone - as he reveals his hopes to return for final season

Kevin Costner revealed he would 'love' the opportunity to return to his role as John Dutton for the final season of Yellowstone. 

While speaking about the highly-anticipated sixth season of his hit Western drama, which is set to return this November, the actor, 69, confirmed he is eager for the chance to get back on the Dutton Ranch. 

'I’d like to be able to do it, but we haven’t been able to,' he told Entertainment Tonight. 'I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five. So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me.'

He continued: 'If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.'

Kevin Costner revealed he would 'love' the opportunity to return for the final season of Yellowstone

Costner went on to tease that he has his own ideas of how his character's story should end. 

The father-of-seven said: 'Well, you know, he needs to be proactive in what happens and I've kind of had my own fantasy how it might be.' 

Ultimately, Costner said it is up to creator Taylor Sheridan. 

'That's Taylor's thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see,' he concluded. 

Costner's contract reportedly has a 'moral death' clause, indicating that he has some say on how Dutton could be killed of the series. 

The clause lists general ways his character is allowed to die, and prevents him getting written off in a 'shameful or embarrassing' way.

Costner allegedly departed the franchise last year amid reports of a feud with Sheridan, 53. 

Earlier this month, however, reports surfaced that Costner was still planning on returning for the final season, according to Puck. 

While speaking about the highly-anticipated sixth season of his hit Western drama, which is scheduled to air in November 2024, the actor, 69, confirmed he is eager to return to his role as John Dutton (pictured alongside costar Kelly Reilly)

'I’d like to be able to do it but we haven’t been able to,' he told Entertainment Tonight. 'I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five. So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me'

The two-time Oscar winner had reportedly been 'telling people' he plans on coming back 'for at least a cameo and possibly more.'

He is apparently hoping to 'leverage' the desires of the Yellowstone fanbase, eager to see Dutton once more.

'Kevin Costner has been telling people he’s planning to return for at least a cameo and possibly more, but there are currently no discussions for him to do that,' Matthew Belloni of Puck News reported.

'Even if Costner significantly lowers his financial and time commitment demands, Sheridan may not want to bother reopening his finished scripts to accommodate a send-off for John Dutton. But the Yellowstone fans would certainly love it, which Costner knows and hopes to leverage, as he always does.'

Last year, during a profile of Sheridan, The Hollywood Reporter reported there were 'ongoing discussions' with Costner to film the final episodes of the show. However at the time, scripts had not yet been completed.

Entertainment Tonight reported last year Costner would be departing the series after its current fifth season amid his alleged rift with Sheridan.

Yellowstone will officially end with it's current fifth season, however fans have been waiting for more than a year for the second half of season five to debut.

The first half of the season aired in late 2022 but the second half has yet to begin filming.

He continued: 'If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it' (seen in February 2023)

Costner (M) pictured alongside Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham, Reilly, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Luke Grimes at the season two premiere party for Yellowstone in 2019

Recently, one of the show's stars shared an update on when viewers can expect to see more of the exploits of the Dutton family, even as Sheridan moves on to other shows.

Ian Bohen, who started out as a recurring cast member at the start of the series before joining the main cast in season four, recently told Entertainment Tonight that Yellowstone may begin filming again in late spring or early summer.

If all goes according to plan, the Paramount Network series would be back on the air by autumn of this year.

'We will go back, rumor has it in May,' Bohen, 47, said at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party in West Hollywood earlier this month.

He added that Yellowstone would likely be shooting 'This summer and then we should be on in November, roughly.'

Bohen also clarified that the start dates weren't set in stone, so 'It could be June,' he added.

The series would 'shoot six episodes,' before airing them beginning in 'November maybe December.'

He even suggested that the hit series might scheduled its last episode ever for the biggest night of television of the year.

'Then we go through the holidays and maybe season finale — series finale maybe on Super Bowl,' the actor said.

Costner allegedly departed the franchise last year amid reports of a feud with creator Taylor Sheridan, 53

Bohen added wistfully that it was the 'end of an era.'

Paramount has already said that the show would return in November, and Bohen seems to confirm that goal, though the network has been more reticent about revealing when Yellowstone would go back into production.

Now that the series is ending, reportedly due to the departure of star Kevin Costner over scheduling conflicts and souring relations with Sheridan, Bohen remarked on how strange it feels to almost be done with his character.

'It's like going to college and grad school with the same people for six or eight years and you're like, "We have to go? Then what are we gonna do next?"' Bohen continued. 'It feels empty and weird so I'm gonna try to wring out every second of it.'

Despite the behind-the-scenes conflicts that have dogged the series, Bohen was optimistic that he and his costars would be on the same page once they were in front of the camera.

Costner pictured with Hauser, who stars as Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone

'The most important thing — and people come and go and there's all kinds of stories that you may read about and hear — but this story of what this show is about is the most important,' he said. 'We're all components and we all become madly in love with each other as actors and as people so we'll finish that out in this beautiful glide to land.'

He added: 'It'll be great, so we just want to take advantage of the time more than anything.'

Bohen also clarified that he hasn't seen any scripts for the final six episodes yet, but he was certain that fans would feel satisfied with the send off.

'You're gonna get the most satisfying, the best ending that the show could possibly have from the mind of our creator,' Bohen declared. 'Taylor [Sheridan] is going to be delivering to the audience, so it'll be worth the wait, so we thank everybody for waiting.'

He has been with Yellowstone since its first season as the ranch hand Ryan, but Bohen was bumped up to the main cast beginning in season four.

The two-time Oscar winner has reportedly been 'telling people' he plans on returning 'for at least a cameo and possibly more'

During the already aired first half of season five, his character began a romance with new face Abby (played by country singer Lainey Wilson).

Wilson, who previously weighed in on whether her character would make it out alive by the end of the show, has said she would do her best to shoot the final season of Yellowstone, even if she was on tour in the wake of her recent success at the Grammy Awards.

'I will say this, I would be shocked if Lainey Wilson was not in this season,' Bohen said, delighting fans of the on-screen couple.

'There was some sort of something — a little bit of something — for her character and for my character. I believe that, I don't know, but I believe that that will happen,' he added.

Although Yellowstone is coming to an end, Paramount is reportedly moving forward with a sequel series that it hopes Matthew McConaughey will star in.

The network has been negotiating with the star for months to take over a similar role to the one Costner played and to give the new show equal star power.

However, McConaughey reportedly will not sign on until he has seen scripts that he approves of, and none have been provided to him as of February.

The producers are reportedly closer to signing Michelle Pfeiffer to join the new show in a female lead capacity, though her casting has not yet been confirmed and could still fall apart.