Is ‘Yellowstone’ about to end abruptly? Don’t bet the ranch, Paramount Network says

Paramount Network‘s hit series “Yellowstone� looks to be all right, all right, all right for now, despite a report Monday alleging it would come to an end soon.

Deadline reported exclusively that Paramount Global and Paramount Network were taking steps to conclude the Kevin Costner-starring series from co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan and would pivot to focus on a spinoff series starring Matthew McConaughey.

But a source close to the production refuted Deadline’s report Monday afternoon with the unqualified assurance that “Yellowstone� will continue.

“We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of Yellowstone and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,� a Paramount Network spokesperson said in a statement to The Times “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built.�

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The statement continued: “Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.�

According to Deadline, Costner had taken issue with the series’ filming schedule and the network had declined the actor’s “proposal,� opting instead to shift focus to a new show.

Since “Yellowstone� premiered on June 20, 2018, on Paramount Network, Costner has portrayed the patriarch of the Dutton Ranch. The series is currently in its fifth season.

“Yellowstone� also stars Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Gil Birmingham.

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The alleged McConaughey series would be Paramount Network‘s most recent effort to expand the world of Sheridan’s “Yellowstone.� In December 2021, the network premiered the limited-series prequel “1883� featuring Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; in December 2022 came the series “1923,� starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.

“I’m a big believer in acting as a mirror and showing the world as it functions as accurately as I can, warts and all, so that people can make their own decisions about what they think about that world and our place in it,� showrunner Sheridan told The Times in 2021.