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Fans of Yellowstone are in for some bittersweet news. The return of the hit neo-Western drama has finally been announced but it will not premiere until November 2024, two years after the release of Part 1.
Viewers were already crushed to learn that season 5 will be the last of Yellowstone. The news that they will have to wait even more time for Part 2 of Season 5 comes as an additional blow.
While the hit series may be coming to an end, the franchise is still growing strong with a lineup of new spinoff series.
Why Did the Return of Yellowstone Get Delayed?
Originally, Yellowstone season 5 part 2 was slated to release in the summer of 2023. However, it was then delayed to November 2023 due to scheduling conflicts with Kevin Costner, who has been focusing on his upcoming project, Horizon.
Costner and Sheridan had been in disagreements over filming schedules which led to the original delay in filming. Due to his upcoming film franchise Horizon, in which he serves as an actor, director, producer, and writer, Costner reportedly only had limited time available for filming Yellowstone.
In addition to scheduling conflicts, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes also put a damper on the return of Yellowstone.
While the series will be returning in November 2024, no official release date has been revealed.
Is Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Being Filmed Yet?
Unfortunately, Part 2 of Season 5 of Yellowstone has not yet started filming, and there is currently no news about when filming will begin. Production had not even commenced before the strikes began in May and July 2023.
However, now that the WGA writers’ strike ended on September 27, 2023, and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike ended on November 9, 2023, we can hopefully soon learn more about the final episodes of the series. Filming will likely begin sometime within the next few months.
Kayce Dutton actor Luke Grimes said in an interview with People in August 2023:
“We have not [started filming the second half of Season 5] because of the writers strike. I think we would be if it weren’t for that. But that takes precedence over everything. They got to get that all sorted, and then we’ll be getting after it.”
Fortunately, show creator Taylor Sheridan has confirmed that most of the scripts were finished before the strike and pre-production is already underway. This means that filming could begin soon now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended. In addition, we can hopefully get more interviews from the actors of Yellowstone about the final season of the series.
While we don’t know when Yellowstone will begin filming, we do know there will be a lot of drama in store for the remainder of season 5.
“Here’s the thing with Yellowstone and my character: Hope doesn’t happen,” Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, told People in regard to the final episodes of Yellowstone.
The second part of Season 5 was set to feature six episodes, however, that may no longer be the case. “If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, [Paramount Network will] give me 10. It’ll be as long as it needs to be,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Future of Yellowstone’s Prequels and Spinoffs
Along with the news of the return of Yellowstone, Paramount announced the addition of two spinoffs, 1944 and 2024.
Following the footsteps of Yellowstone is 2024, which will pick up where the story of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch left off. The sequel series is set to star Matthew McConaughey, though no official cast has been revealed. Originally, 2024 was set to have ‘Yellowstone’ in the title but was later changed to keep up with the trend of the other spinoffs by having the year as the title.
Before its title was announced, 2024 was set to premiere in December 2023 after the end of Yellowstone. However, since Yellowstone won’t return until November 2024, we can expect the new series to come out sometime after that.
No information has been revealed yet regarding the premiere date of 1944. The prequel series got the green light in February 2023 before officially being confirmed in November 2023. It is slated to be a follow-up of 1923, following the Dutton family on their Montana cattle ranch as America faces the hardships brought on by WWII.
It is likely that the earliest 1944 would premiere would be in late 2024 or 2025. The show has not yet begun production so the wait could be even longer.
So far, no title, cast list, or plot has been revealed for either 2024 or 1944.
When Does 1923 Return for a Second Season?
Prior to the strikes, it was believed that Season 2 was predicted to premiere in late 2023. However, the strikes have caused a delay in the return of 1923.
There is currently no timeline as to when the second season of 1923 will premiere. Filming has not started and there is no word as to how soon it will begin now that the strikes are over. There is a good possibility we won’t see the return of the prequel series until late 2024 or even possibly 2025.
No News on the Premiere of 6666 or 1944
While we now know more about 1944 and 2024, there has been little news surrounding the spinoff series 6666. On IMDb, the series is listed with a premiere date of 2024, however, Paramount has not made an official announcement regarding the series.
The spinoff series 6666 was first announced back in 2021. The TV show is set to follow life at the historic 6666 Ranch in Texas. In June 2023, Sheridan announced that production for 6666 had been put on hold. Since then, there has been little news on the spinoff so it will likely be some time before the show hits our screens.
“[The Four Sixes spin-off], for a number of reasons, needs a unique level of special care because this is a real place with real families working here,” Sheridan told Hollywood Reporter.
While Yellowstone is coming to an end after five seasons, the future of the Yellowstone universe is bright with multiple prequels and spinoffs. However, we will have to wait some time before the Duttons return to the big screen.
To keep up-to-date on all the Yellowstone universe series, check out our ultimate Yellowstone prequels and spinoffs guide here.