The final season of Yellowstone is being kept under lock and key, as one would expect, but we do know one thing: John Dutton will not be a part of the Yellowstone Cinematic Yeehawniverse anymore. At least, not physically. That’s a result of Kevin Costner’s ignominious departure from the series. What happens to John Dutton remains one of the tightly guarded secrets of Yellowstone’s upcoming episodes, along with the unresolved tension between Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley). However, Reilly has revealed that John’s absence didn’t alter the ending series creator Taylor Sheridan had always envisioned, Reilly shared 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 known Sheridan’s planned conclusion 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.”

What Can We Expect from ‘Yellowstone’s Final Season?

When the first half of Season 5 aired in early 2023, no one, including the fans, realized 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. 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.

There’s not much that’s getting out in the way of how it’ll end, as a featurette showed fans last week. The cast discussed the lengths taken to ensure script security, particularly surrounding how Costner’s character will be written out of the show. Director Christina Voros, via voiceover, added that things had to be kept secret.

“There was a lot of security around the script and the narrative. It’s a huge testament to the intrepidness of the crew, because you’ve learned how to do something a certain way for seven years, and all of a sudden have a new set of challenges that come from protecting the story for the sake of the audience.”

Yellowstone will return for its final season on Sunday, November 10 on Paramount Network. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the spin-off series The Madison and Yellowstone as we get them. Previous episodes of Yellowstone are available to stream on Peacock.