Google’s NotebookLM software that primarily impact audio overviews. For the uninitiated, the platform’s Audio Overview tool uses AI to whip up an audio summary of a piece of content. It started with written content, but has since .

So what’s new? Users can now input specific instructions before generating a “Deep Dive” overview. Google gives examples of tasking the software to focus on a single topic or adjusting the expertise level to suit a particular audience. The company says it’s like “slipping the AI hosts a quick note right before they go on the air.”

There’s also a new background listening feature, which is just what it sounds like. People can listen to audio overviews as they do other stuff within NotebookLM. Google says users can query sources, get citations and explore relevant quotes “without interrupting the audio.”

It’s also worth noting that the company has removed NotebookLM’s “experimental” label, so I guess the experiment has been a resounding success. In any event, the software back in December.

The company even announced a forthcoming expansion that’s primarily intended for commercial use, . This will include “enhanced features for businesses, universities and organizations.” Businesses can apply today to get early access to the pilot program.

If you’re of a certain age, the words “nuclear energy” probably conjure up dystopian images of power plants melting down, glowing radioactive waste, protesters, and other dark scenes ranging from the unfortunate to apocalyptic.

The truth is, nuclear power’s reputation has been mostly unfairly blemished since 1970s and ’80s thanks to the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl meltdowns in Pennsylvania and Ukraine (at that time, part of the Soviet Union), respectively. While terrible, these disasters belie nuclear energy’s true safety record, which is actually much better for humans and of course, the environment, than most other power sources — even renewables, and even accounting for the fact that nuclear waste needs to go somewhere.

Now in the year 2024, some of the largest technology companies on Earth are ready to embrace nuclear power again — and the reason is because of artificial intelligence (AI).

Which companies are embracing nuclear to power AI operations?

Looking over the last 9-10 months, and in particular, the last few weeks, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all announced large-scale commitments to buy, invest in, and/or help build new nuclear power plants. It’s no coincidence these rivals are the three top providers of cloud computing and cloud storage solutions in the world, and have also been among the biggest to embrace and provide AI models and technology to customers, both other businesses and end-users.

Specifically, the major AI-nuclear projects that have been announced this year include:

1. Google has partnered with Kairos Power to utilize small modular reactors (SMRs) to power its AI data centers. The deal is projected to deliver 500 megawatts of carbon-free power by 2035, as part of Google’s broader goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. These advanced reactors offer a simplified and safer design, aligning with Google’s push for sustainability.
2. Microsoft has agreed to restart the dormant Three Mile Island reactor in Pennsylvania by 2028 through a partnership with Constellation Energy. This plant will provide 835 megawatts of power, supporting Microsoft’s data centers as AI energy consumption continues to rise. Additionally, Microsoft has signed a contract with Helion Energy to explore fusion energy, positioning it as a potential future energy source. Earlier this year, The Information reported that Microsoft and OpenAI were reportedly partnering on a $100 billion AI supercomputer codenamed “Stargate” that would require 5 gigawatts (5000 megawatts to power), or just under the amount of power consumed regularly by New York City (all for one computer!!)
3. Amazon announced on October 16, 2024, that it signed three new agreements to support nuclear energy development through SMRs. In Washington, Amazon is working with Energy Northwest to develop four SMRs, projected to generate 320 megawatts in the first phase, with the potential to increase to 960 megawatts. The project is expected to begin powering the Pacific Northwest in the 2030s. Amazon is further partnering with X-energy, which will supply the SMR technology, enabling future projects to develop more than five gigawatts of nuclear power. Furthermore, Amazon is exploring SMR development with Dominion Energy in Virginia, adding at least 300 megawatts to meet the region’s growing demand. Amazon’s existing deal with Talen Energy involves a $650 million investment in a Pennsylvania data center powered directly by nuclear energy, helping preserve an older reactor and creating jobs.

SMRs, as mentioned in several of the deals above, are reactors with a maximum output of 300 MWe, producing 7.2 million kWh per day.

They are smaller than traditional reactors, which exceed 1,000 MWe, and offer greater flexibility due to their modular design, allowing for production and assembly in factories rather than on the site of the actual power station itself.

They’re cooled by light water, liquid metal, or molten salt and incorporate passive safety systems, utilizing natural circulation for core cooling and reducing the need for operator intervention, which simplifies design and minimizes failure risks.

What’s driving the move to nuclear?

Clearly, the major cloud-turned AI model providers see an enormous future for nuclear power behind their operations.

But why and why now? To find out, I reached out to Edward Kee, CEO and founder of Nuclear Economics Consulting Group, a nuclear energy consulting firm, who previously worked as a merchant power plant developer and a nuclear power plant engineer for U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

According to Kee — who of course, is incentivized to see more nuclear power spin up — the answer is that data centers used to train and serve up inferences of AI models to customers require a lot of energy, and right now, the only way to deliver it is largely through a fossil fuel-powered electrical grid, which will impede the tech companies from achieving their climate and emissions goals.

“The value of clean, reliable electricity for these data centers is pretty high,” he told me in a videoconference interview earlier this week. “Most companies have committed to zero-carbon power by 2030 or 2035, but using renewable energy accounting methods is a bit fallacious because solar doesn’t work at night, and wind doesn’t work when there’s no wind.”

Indeed, AI is a particularly power intensive industry. As Anna-Sofia Lesiv wrote for the venture capital firm Contrary last summer:

“Training foundational AI models can be quite energy-intensive. GPT-3, OpenAI’s 175 billion parameter model, reportedly used 1,287 MWh to train, while DeepMind’s 280 billion parameter model used 1,066 MWh. This is about 100 times the energy used by the average US household in a year.”

And as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a non-profit international research and standards body dedicated to nuclear energy, wrote in a report released just this week:

“As electricity consumption by data centers, cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence companies is expected to double from 2022 to 2026, these companies are seeking the next generation of clean energy technologies that can help to meet their goals.“

Driven in part by this increasing demand from the tech sector, IAEA issued a high-end projection in the report that finds a 150% increase in global nuclear generation capacity to 950 gigawatts by 2050.

However, the IAEA cautions this high-end projection will require a $100 billion investment over the same 25-year timeframe — “a fraction of what the world invests in energy infrastructure overall, but a big change from the level of investment in nuclear over the past 20 years.”

Tech companies are trying to thread a commercial and political needle to get the power they need

While one might think that tech companies of all entities would have no trouble obtaining power from the existing electrical grid (powered mainly by natural gas and coal in the U.S.), the reality according to Kee is that municipal and private power utilities companies are wary of committing a significant portion of their output to new data centers, which could strain their ability to serve their current crop of residential and commercial customers beyond tech.

The tech companies are “talking about adding frankly enormous amounts of new demand in terms of gigawatts on the grid,” the nuclear expert told VentureBeat. “And increasingly, the states and the utilities where they’re going to put those data centers are saying, ‘Hold on a minute, guys. You can’t just show up here and connect and take hundreds of megawatts or gigawatts of power without us having a plan to supply the generation to meet that demand. It’s going to cause problems.’”

Therefore, in order to even get approval for new data center projects and large AI training “superclusters” of graphics processing units (GPUs) from Nvidia and others — like the kind Elon Musk’s xAI just turned on in Memphis, Tennessee — municipal and state lawmakers and regulatory agencies may be asking the tech companies to come up with a plan for how they will be powered without draining too much from the existing grid.

“Talking a lot about your nuclear plants could help you with that in terms of public perception,” Kee said.

Why having nuclear power located physically and geographically beside data centers is so appealing

You might also think that tech companies looking to nuclear to solve their AI energetic problems would be happy getting power from any nuclear plant, even ones far away from where their data centers would be situated.

But even though we consumers often think of the “cloud” on which many AI servers run as some sort of ethereal, nonphysical space of electrons floating above us or around us and that we dip into and out of with our devices as needed, the fact is it is still enabled by physical metal and silicon computer chips and hardware, and as such, its performance is subject to the same physics as the rest of the world.

Therefore, putting data centers as close as possible to their power sources — in this case, nuclear power plants — is advantageous to the companies.

“We think of this AC power network we have as being pretty much fungible so you can get power at one point and customers another point,” Kee explained. “But when you have huge hundred megawatt gigawatt scale loads, you’re going to have to upgrade and change your transmission system which means a building new transmission lines.”

Instead of doing that, the big tech companies would be better off situating servers right beside the power generation facility itself, avoiding the cost of building more infrastructure to carry the vast energy loads they require.

What does big tech’s sudden interest in nuclear mean for the long run?

Ever the techno optimist, I personally couldn’t help but get a little wide eyed at the recent announcements of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft putting money towards new nuclear plants.

I myself have gone on a journey of being wary about nuclear power to being more open to it in order to help reduce emissions for the sake of our climate and environment — much like the environmentalist advocacy nonprofit group the Sierra Club (founded by former Bay Area prominent resident John Muir), which recently endorsed nuclear power to the surprise of many given its long history of opposition.

A future where powerful AI models help increase the demand for, and maybe even optimize the safety and performance of new nuclear power plants sounds awesome and compelling to me. If AI is what it takes the world to look again at nuclear and embrace it as one of the major sources of clean energy, so be it. Could AI usher in a nuclear energy renaissance?

Kee, for his part, is less certain about that optimistic worldview, noting that whether building new small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) or restarting old full scale power plants like Three Mile Island, the U.S. federal government through the agency the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will still need to review and approval all the projects, which is likely to take several years at the earliest.

“Some of these announcements may be a bit hyperbolic in there on their promises and expectations,” he told VentureBeat. “So you want to keep your seatbelt on for a while.”

Still, having been working in the nuclear sector for decades now, Kee is encouraged by big tech’s lofty promises and does believe it could spur new nuclear energy investment more generally.

“There’s been excitement around small and advanced reactors for a decade or more, and now it’s linking up with the big technology power demand world…That’s kind of cool,” he told VentureBeat. “I don’t know which other sectors might follow, but you’re right—it could happen. If some of these new reactor designs get built, which was always in doubt because the economics are questionable for the first one, it might become easier to build a whole fleet by other parties, including utilities or municipalities.”

Right now Tesla sells the most EVs in the US — and has been making a profit on them alone since 2021. The second largest producer of EVs in the country is Ford, but it has been posting more than a billion dollars in losses for the first two quarters of this year on its Model e electric vehicle division. Other pure EV players like Rivian and Lucid aren’t making money on their vehicles and on are hanging on thanks to outside investors.

EV demand is still on the rise, but its rate of growth is fluctuating in the US, causing manufacturers to modify their EV rollout strategies and incorporate more hybrids into the mix. A big thing holding EVs back are their high costs, but customers can get tax incentives from the federal government up to $7,500 to help with the purchase. However, the credits are only for EVs built domestically with stringent rules on vehicle pricing and battery materials sourcing — rules designed to stay competitive with China, which is building more EVs for cheaper.

Only a handful of GM-made vehicles like the Chevy Equinox and Blazer EV qualify for incentives right now, but it’s making investments to lower battery prices and get those tax incentives for consumers. One of GM’s big new plans is to open a new battery cell development center in 2027 in Warren, Michigan. GM is also building a new $3.5 billion EV battery plant in Indiana with Samsung SDI as well as another in Lansing, Michigan with LG. GM and LG have also increased production at currently operational plants in Spring Hill, Tennessee and Warren, Ohio.

According to The New York Times, GM will collect around $800 million in subsidies from the government for manufacturing EV batteries in the US thanks to the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.

GM also plans to reduce battery costs by incorporating lower-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in future EVs, like Tesla and Ford already do. The chemistry generally nets a lower overall driving range for EVs after a full charge compared to the more expensive nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) batteries GM installs in most of its current EV models.

However, GM thinks its range won’t suffer by much: all GM EVs today get approximately 300 or more miles of range, comms VP Darryll Harrison tells The Verge, and it expects to pack “over 350 miles” of range into its larger LFP vehicles.

GM has one of the most affordable EVs on the market, the Chevy Equinox, which costs below $30,000 after tax credits. It doesn’t have Apple CarPlay for those who care, but neither does Tesla, which sells the ultra-popular Model 3 sedan for about $35,000 after incentives.

AI conversational search engine Perplexity typically looks for information online or in a provided database and interacts with users one at a time. Now, the company is changing things up with two new major features to augment its answers and improve its collaborative ability. The Internal Knowledge Search and Spaces features, respectively, provide a new way of thinking about AI search not just in the office but in your everyday life as well.

Perplexity was among the first to blend Google-style search engines with ChatGPT-style conversational ability, beating both Google and OpenAI to the idea of real-time web searching coupled with an interface that could mimic how people actually speak. Search has, until now, been limited to either hunting online or using provided databases. The Internal Knowledge Search feature melds them together, allowing simultaneous online and internal searching through one giant informational source.

Since its premiere in 2018, Yellowstone has been a breakout hit for the Paramount Network and one of the most popular shows on TV. Taylor Sheridan’s modern Western also revitalized Kevin Costner’s career by placing him in the lead as John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family, who own the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, one of the largest ranches in Montana.

The fifth season of Yellowstone premiered in 2022, but the future of the series and the franchise were called into question when reports emerged that Costner was leaving the show and Paramount Network had already ordered a sequel series that will continue without Costner’s involvement. To bring everyone up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the future of Yellowstone.

Will there be a sixth season of Yellowstone?

Until August 2024, it had been understood that the remaining episodes of Yellowstone season 5 would wrap up the series. However, it sounds like Paramount Network isn’t willing to let its most popular show go quietly. Deadline is reporting that negotiations are underway with Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser to co-headline a sixth season of Yellowstone.

Reilly portrays Beth Dutton and Hauser portrays the Dutton family ranch’s foreman, Rip Wheeler. Both performers have been with the series since the beginning, and a continuation makes sense because neither one has a direct connection to the new characters who will be at the center of the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff, Madison. As of now, there is no definitive timetable for Yellowstone season 6 to begin filming, and contracts haven’t been finalized yet. The one thing we know for certain is that Kevin Costner won’t be back.

What have Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser said about the season 6 reports?

Cole Hauser doesn’t seem to be leaving much room for another season during his recent remarks to US Magazine. “It’s been a great ride with everyone involved,” Hauser said. “You’ll have to stay tuned for November for how Taylor [Sheridan] wraps it up!”

Kelly Reilly was more open to the possibility when she spoke with EW.

“Nothing is set in stone,” Reilly said. “But if Taylor wants to write it, I would want to do it. That’s it. Because he’s the one that’s written every single line I’ve ever said. She came from his imagination. But we’re both in agreement that there’s a shift that has to take place. Because you can’t keep telling the same story. This story is ending. Yellowstone as we know it is ending, but if there is more story to tell with some of the characters, it’s going to be a little different.”

Is Matthew McConaughey going to star in the Yellowstone spinoff?

Every report since February 2023 has stated that McConaughey is in negotiations to star in the Yellowstone spinoff series. So far, there has been no confirmation that McConaughey has closed his deal. In February 2024, Puck reported McConaughey would not sign on until he saw a script for the spinoff.

If McConaughey does agree to a contract, it would be his first leading role on TV since HBO’s first season of True Detective in 2014. McConaughey’s star power is also arguably greater than Costner’s at this point in their respective careers.

Does the spinoff series have a title?

Who will Matthew McConaughey play in the Yellowstone spinoff?

Is Michelle Pfeiffer going to star in the Yellowstone spinoff?

Yes. Via Variety, Michelle Pfeiffer will star in The Madison and executive produce the show alongside series creator Taylor Sheridan.

In a statement, Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy acknowledged the news and said, “Michelle Pfeiffer is a remarkable talent who imbues every role with emotional depth, authenticity and grace. She is the perfect anchor to the newest chapter of the Yellowstone universe, The Madison, from the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan.”

There was no mention of McConaughey’s name, and the last few updates about the series have conspicuously left him out. Pfeiffer’s involvement with the project was first reported in February 2024 by Puck, which noted that the actress was in talks to join the Yellowstone spinoff alongside McConaughey.

Who else is slated to star in The Madison?

After months of apparent inactivity, the cast of the Yellowstone spinoff The Madison is coming together. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Suits star Patrick J. Adams has signed on to a starring role opposite Pfeiffer. Adams will play Russell McIntosh, a man who is described as someone “who has followed the life path set before him from the start.”

Film actress Elle Chapman, whose previous credits include A Man Called Otto and Florida Wild, is making her TV debut in this series as Paige McIntosh, a “somewhat self-centered woman who indulges in a luxurious New York lifestyle provided by her parents and investment banker husband.” She is Russell’s wife and the daughter of Pfeiffer’s character.

Firefly Lane‘s Beau Garrett has also been cast as Abigail Reese. Abigail doesn’t appear to be a member of the McIntosh family, but she is a recently divorced single mother who is described as a “resilient and sardonic New Yorker.” Abigail is Paige’s sister, and the other daughter of Pfeiffer’s character. Amiah Miller will play Abigail’s oldest daughter.

Lost star Matthew Fox has also landed a leading role on the series as Paul, “a self-reliant bachelor who loves the outdoors.” It’s unclear if he has any relationship to the McIntosh family.

A previous report from Deadline noted that veteran actor Kurt Russell is also in talks to join the series. However, McConaughey went unmentioned again, which raises the question of whether he will actually appear in the spinoff at all.

Which Yellowstone cast members will return for the spinoff?

Prior to last year’s actors’ strike, Deadline reported that “it has not been revealed whether the McConaughey-fronted franchise extension will be set on the Dutton ranch in Montana or elsewhere and which of the original stars of Yellowstone will appear in the spinoff series, but we hear a couple of them have received offers. The plan for the returning cast members may not get finalized until Sheridan finishes writing, we hear.”

The Yellowstone spinoff was not originally designed to include characters from the original series. However, a February 2024 report by Puck stated that Yellowstone stars Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, and Luke Grimes as three Yellowstone could join the spinoff. Reilly and Grimes play Beth and Kayce Dutton, while Hauser stars as Beth’s husband, Rip Wheeler. The trio is looking for significant pay increases to return for the spinoff. Reilly and Hauser are asking for a per-episode rate of $1.2 million and 1.25 million, respectively. Grimes’ salary demands were not included. Puck’s follow-up in March 2024 stated negotiations were still ongoing.

Given the way that Yellowstone season 5A ended, it’s hard to picture Reilly and Wes Bentley returning for the spinoff series since their respective characters, Beth and Jamie Dutton, have openly contemplated murdering each other over their ongoing dispute. Beth is John Dutton’s daughter and Jamie is his adopted son, but they have very different endgames in mind. Jamie has already gone against the family by calling for his father to be impeached from his position as the governor of Montana. That alone could get Jamie sent to the “train station,” where the Dutton family tends to dump the bodies of their enemies.

Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are open to joining the Yellowstone spinoff

First and foremost, the Yellowstone cast members must finish the final episodes of season 5 before they can work on the spinoff. However, several of the principal actors in Yellowstone are open to joining the spinoff. Reilly revealed that discussions have occurred about her involvement in the spinoff.

“I just care about finishing [the main show] with as much care, as much passion, and as much love as I can muster to put into it,” Reilly told Collider in March 2024. “That’s what I care about. I’m sort of prepping for that now, [and] that’s my tunnel vision thing that I care about most. And what goes on beyond that? There are discussions, you know. Don’t believe everything you read. It’s just nonsense. But we’re gonna, you know, let’s wait and see. I don’t have an answer right now. But we’ll see.”

Hauser also shared a similar sentiment about the spinoff. His focus is on finishing Yellowstone season 5. However, Hauser mentioned how there are ways Rip, Beth, and other key characters could appear in the spinoff.

“I’m so focused on finishing Yellowstone the way it needs to be finished right now — well, just the show itself,” Hauser told Country Living in April 2024. “We’ll see where that leads, but I know that there’s some stuff on the horizon when it comes to Taylor’s ideas for Kelly Reilly, myself, and some of the other cast. I’m excited to see where he goes creatively with that, but right now it’s just, let’s finish strong; let’s do the best we can.”

When will Yellowstone season 5, part 2 begin production?

Paramount Network has officially announced that Yellowstone season 5, part 2 has begun filming in Montana as of May 20, 2024. That should be more than enough time for the series to film the final six episodes and turn them around for a final run on Paramount Network later this year.

As noted via Deadline, Costner has not returned to the show, and there don’t appear to be any plans for him to do so. Costner is currently promoting Horizon: An American Saga in France at the Cannes Film Festival, and he intends to resume filming the third Horizon movie when he returns to America. It’s not impossible for Costner and Sheridan to make an agreement for him to appear in the final episodes. But with the show back in production, the window for that to happen is rapidly closing.

When will the last episodes of Yellowstone season 5 premiere?

After months of waiting, Yellowstone fans now know when they can finally see new episodes. Yellowstone season 5, part 2 will premiere on Sunday, November 10 on Paramount Network. The new episodes will also be released on Peacock in America, but we don’t know yet if the streaming service will have them the same day as Paramount Network or if fans will have to wait longer before watching the episodes online. Fans in Canada won’t have the same problem, as Paramount+ will premiere the episodes on the same day they are broadcast.

Will Yellowstone season 5, part 2 be on network television?

Can you watch Yellowstone season 5, part 2 any other way?

Sure! You can try live TV streaming options like Sling, Hulu Plus Live, and YouTube TV. The cheapest and best possible, though, is Philo. Philo is a live television streaming service that offers more than 70 top-rated channels and the entire AMC+ library for just $28/month. Some of the channels include A&E, MTV, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, MTV, BET, and the Paramount Network, which is the home of Yellowstone.

Philo also has over 90 free channels available to watch anytime without creating an account. In addition, the service has a library of over 75,000 content titles on-demand and an unlimited DVR that saves recordings for a year. Philo can be used on mobile phones, tablets, TVs, and desktops so you can watch the Dutton clan pretty much anywhere on any device.

Why is Kevin Costner leaving Yellowstone?

In February 2023, Deadline reported that the dispute between Costner and The Paramount Network concerned his participation in season 5’s filming schedule. It noted that Costner’s priority was Horizon, a new multipart Western film that is his current passion project. According to the report, Costner’s commitments to those films led him to shoot only 50 days for the first half of Yellowstone season 5. But Costner “only wanted to spend a week shooting” for the remaining episodes of the season. Subsequently, Paramount Network made plans to end the series and push toward a sequel show.

Sheridan addressed the issue in a June 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he said: “My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network argued about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”

“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” added Sheridan. “I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting. He took a lot of this on the chin, and I don’t know that anyone deserves it … I’m disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

What does Kevin Costner say about his future involvement with Yellowstone?

Costner has not given interviews about the subject until very recently. As reported by Deadline, Costner’s departure from Yellowstone came up during his divorce proceedings in September 2023,

“Somewhere along the line, they wanted to change things,” said Costner during his testimony in court. “They wanted to do 5A and 5B; [it] affected Horizon. I was going to do my movie Horizon and leave that show, do my movie, then do B. A show I was only doing once a year I was now doing twice.”

“We did negotiate,” added Costner. “There were issues about creative … I tried to break the logjam. They walked away.” Costner also noted that he was offered $24 million to shoot Yellowstone seasons 6 and 7. Additionally, Costner said that he will “probably go to court” over his dispute with Paramount Network. But as of January 2024, no court case has been filed by the actor. And it is still unknown if Costner will return for the final episodes of Yellowstone.

However, a March 2024 report from Matthew Belloni of Puck News stated that Costner wants to return for Yellowstone’s final run of episodes.

“Kevin Costner has been telling people he’s planning to return for at least a cameo and possibly more, but there are currently no discussions for him to do that,” Belloni wrote in his newsletter. “Even if Costner significantly lowers his financial and time commitment demands, Sheridan may not want to bother reopening his finished scripts to accommodate a send-off for John Dutton.

Those comments were borne out by Costner himself, who has spent the last three months talking about his desire to return to Yellowstone in some capacity… and on his own terms.

A possible return to Yellowstone

Even in June 2024, with new episodes in production, Costner is still striking a conciliatory tone while praising the series.

“I’ve supported that thing and I’ve loved it,” Costner said during an appearance on NBC’s Today. “It’s been really important to me. I would love to go back under the right circumstances I think that all of us want. For me, it really needs to be the right circumstances.”

Costner added that “there’s always a chance,” he could still return, even now. “I love the thing. You’ve got to be really clear about that.”

Kevin Costner addresses the rumors about his Yellowstone exit

Costner is now promoting his new western, Horizon. And his interview with Deadline on May 13 showed his apparent anger about the situation and the story that has unfolded in the media over the last year.

“I don’t want to get down in the gutter with the Yellowstone thing but what I’m telling you is straight up,” Costner said. “I have taken a beating from those f***ing guys and I know a lot of times where it’s coming from. I just elected not to get into that. But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong. I did not initiate any of those things. They did. They were doing a tap dance and this poor guy was also having to write so much. And I don’t know why they didn’t stick up for me.”

Costner’s account from his divorce trial lines up with his latest comments about the issues facing Yellowstone season 5, part 2, particularly the lack of scripts to shoot. He also explained where the rumor came from that he only wanted to work a week on the remaining episodes of the season.

“They didn’t have the scripts for anything else,” Costner said. “So, what you read in the end was that I said, ‘Well, look, I’m doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week.’ I really didn’t have that week to give them, but I said, I’ll do that. And then they [spun that] into, I only wanted to work a week.”

“I’m usually working six or seven days per each, whatever they are,” Costner added. “And they took that and a source on their side spun that into, well, he only wants to work a week for a whole season. Do you think that’s who I am? I’ve never missed a day of work. I’ve never left before fulfilling my contractual obligations. A lot of times, I stay as much as I can. In fact, I worked the nine-day stretch just to try to help them in July, when I was starting [Horizon] August 1. I worked a Saturday and Sunday for them, and they still needed four more days. I gave it to them, when I thought we were going to do this so-called B, but there was no B thing. I was just going to give ‘em those extra four days.”

Costner also voiced his frustration that Sheridan and others did not defend him in the press while these stories were circulating.

“They were silent and that bothered me in the world of how you do things,” Costner said. “Why don’t you stick up for me? I went and sold this thing for you. I was going to only do one season. I made it for three. I fulfilled three. So, I went from one to three, then I did a fourth one for them and they wanted to do three more. So, I made the contract to do that. They imploded. I had a contract to do five, six and seven. I was contracted to do that. There’s nothing I could have done to get out of that, nor was I trying to just figure out how, when we started. When we finished, I wanted to do Horizon. It all happened because they shut down one whole season, didn’t tell anybody and I didn’t work for 14 months.”

Despite the apparent hard feelings over the dispute, Costner still says he’s willing to consider coming back for the final episodes.

“I’m very open to coming back,” Costner said. “If they’ve got so many other things going on, maybe this circles back and it’s a really cool two seasons. Or end it, if the writing’s there and I’m happy with it. I’m open to that. But I took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out. I’m not happy about that. But if the writing is there, I will be there too.”

“They had first position,” Costner said. “I didn’t do Horizon because I was tired of doing Yellowstone. That’s a bulls*** story. I didn’t do Horizon to compete with Yellowstone. This is something I’ve had a long time. Taylor read that script three years earlier when he was contemplating other writers [for Yellowstone]. I said, well, you can look at what John [Baird] and I did, not that I think I’m qualified. I think you write Yellowstone beautifully. So, he read that and knew what the thing was about. It’s just that simple: Paramount and 101 Studios mismanaged this. They had me for five, six, and seven. I agreed to do it. And then they steadily began changing their format.”

Does Kevin Costner want a say in the fate of John Dutton?

If Yellowstone fans were hoping for a good sign about Costner’s return to the show, this is it. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Costner expressed his desire to see Dutton as the author of his own fate.

“[Dutton] needs to be proactive in what happens and I’ve kind of had my own fantasy how [the character’s final arc] might be,” noted Costner. “But that’s Taylor’s thing. I said as much to him a while back. I had thoughts how it could happen, but we just have to see.”

Does this mean that Costner is coming back? Not quite. As noted above, the previous report in Puck suggests that Sheridan may be less than accommodating about changing his scripts for the remaining episodes of Yellowstone even if it means giving the show’s star one last sendoff. Regardless, Costner sounds hopeful about the situation.

“I’d like to be able to do it, but we haven’t been able to … I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we’re at five,” related Costner. “So how it works out — I hope it does — but they’ve got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I’d love to do it.”

Kevin Costner says goodbye to Yellowstone

Does Kevin Costner’s new movie, Horizon: An American Saga, have any Yellowstone connections?

Earlier this week, Kevin Costner debuted the trailer for his upcoming movie, Horizon: An American Saga. The movie, a passion project of the actor he personally financed, is set to debut in two parts later this year. Yellowstone fans couldn’t help but notice some similarities between the movie and the show: the Western setting; Costner’s role as a tough patriarch defending his land; and the giant cast of well-known character actors like Will Patton, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Rooker, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, and many, many more.

Yet, while the movie shares many of the same themes with Yellowstone, it is not connected in any way with the hit show. The movie is set during the American Civil War, and does not chronicle the early years of Dutton clan like the spinoff shows 1883 and 1923 have recently. That hasn’t stopped fans of Yellowstone from gravitating toward the movie. Good Housekeeping reported that fans of the hit Paramount Network show can’t wait to see the movies, which makes sense given that Costner has long been the figurehead and main attraction of the long-running show.