Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 director confirms John Dutton “is still central” to story

With Kevin Costner gone, the fate of John Dutton remains a lingering question – thankfully, Yellowstone director Christina Voros has assured fans he’ll still play a major role in the story to come.

Most Yellowstone fans would be forgiven for assuming that when Season 5 Part 2 hits screens, they’ll be met with an off-screen death for the leading man. The Dutton story can continue without John, but that doesn’t mean his presence won’t be felt.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, S5P2 director Christina Voros confirmed, “His presence is integral. I think to say any more than that would potentially compromise all the work that went into redacting the scripts!

“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.”

Much of the speculation for the newest (and supposedly last) season of Taylor Sheridan‘s hit Western surrounds what will be done with John Dutton. And with Costner’s exit being so highly publicized, the pressure on those behind the binge-worthy TV show has never been higher.

“It was a perfect storm, really,” Voros said. “There’s so much anticipation. There was so much in the press about Kevin. And when you make a show that has such a beloved following, everyone is going to have their ideas about how it should end.”

When asked about what it was like to witness Sheridan’s shift in direction following Costner’s break, she said, “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.

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“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,” she added.

But although Costner himself declared that he wouldn’t be returning to the show, there still remains an air of doubt. Talking about what it was like to film without Yellowstone’s star, Voros couldn’t even give a straight answer.

“I don’t know if we were without him,” she said. “I don’t know!”

What does this mean? You’ll simply need to watch Yellowstone when it returns on November 10 to find out.

For more, check out all the other best TV shows coming to streaming this month. You can also recap with the best Yellowstone episodes, and take a look at our ranking of who’s most likely to die.