Kevin Costner opens up about his decision to leave 'Yellowstone'

Kevin Costner has spoken out about leaving the popular television show Yellowstone and explained his decision to announce at this time.

The actor and director said that it was appropriate to announce that he will not be reprising his role as John Dutton in the last episodes of the upcoming film series Horizon: An American Saga, which premieres on November 10.

The news of the launch date by Paramount Network followed Costner's confirmation, as rumours about his comeback had been circulating while the last episodes of the show were still being filmed.

“It wasn’t tough,” Costner told The Hollywood Reporter when questioned about the difficulty level of the long-speculated news official on June 20. “It was a necessary decision to say, ‘Hey, okay I don’t want to really talk about this anymore. It’s time to move on.'”

Then Costner went into further detail, repeating remarks he had made regarding his contract when he initially joined the Taylor Sheridan-created flagship series, which has now given rise to a Yellowstone-verse.

“I gave this thing five seasons,” Costner said. 

“I was really happy to do it. And I don’t need drama. So, let’s just take that drama away, let’s take the guessing [away]. The fans have been way too good to me. And my obligation is to go on and continue to make things that mean something to them.”

Costner is working on a three-part Western epic called Horizon. The first chapter will debut on June 28, followed by the second chapter on August 16. Costner is seeking additional funding for the third chapter.