The end for Yellowstone is near in the fiery and thunderous trailer for the final season of Taylor Sheridan‘s epic modern Western saga, which has just been released and, one thing we must say, is that there’s more Kevin Costner in it than we expected given that he’s, you know, not actually in it any more? The trailer is suggesting that a truce and alliance is being forged between Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), while Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) is front and centre in the Dutton Ranch as he takes care of some business in the only way he knows how. The war between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley) also looks like it only has one possible conclusion, and it’s a violent one.

When the first half of Season 5 aired in at the beginning of 2023, no one, including the fans, could have fathomed that it marked the beginning of the final season. However, delays due to Costner‘s schedule, script issues, and the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes followed, which accelerated the process. Now, with Yellowstone set to return on November 10 on Paramount for its final episodes, it will do so without the leading man of the series. Or will it?

How Will ‘Yellowstone’ End?

John Dutton’s fate remains one of the most closely guarded secrets of Yellowstone’s upcoming episodes, along with the unresolved conflict between Beth and Jamie. However, Kelly Reilly has confirmed that despite John’s absence, the series’ conclusion remains in line with what creator Taylor Sheridan had always planned, as she explained in a chat with Entertainment Weekly.

“The absence was part of the ending. That’s not something that we had to pivot; it was already written into the tapestry of the story. It was always going to happen, it just unfolded a little differently.”

Reilly has been in the loop regarding Sheridan’s planned climax since Season 1, when he first shared it with her. As she mentioned to EW previously, Sheridan originally mapped out five seasons for the show before it became a runaway success.

“It was always going to be five seasons in [Sheridan’s] head, but because the show became so successful, the network and everyone wanted more,” Reilly explained. “So, in a way, fate took it, and we ended this part of Yellowstone in a way that he always envisioned it to end.”

Yellowstone will return for its final season on Sunday, November 10 on Paramount Network. Check out the trailer above.

via Collider