Kevin Costner says Taylor Sheridan ‘borrowed’ script for Yellowstone prequel

Kevin Costner’s eagerly awaited passion project, Horizon: An American Saga will finally premiere next month but fans may recognise some of the storylines. 

According to the John Dutton star, Yellowstone’s creator Taylor Sheridan “borrowed” from the script for the show’s prequel 1883. 

Both the movie and the spin-off, follow the lives of the ancestors of Costner's Yellowstone protagonist, with a focus on the westward expansion of the US in the late 19th century.

During Horizon’s Chapter 1 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the actor revealed he and his screenwriting partner Jon Baird sent Taylor the unproduced script in 2019. 

At the time, the second season of Yellowstone was in production, and Taylor was looking for additional writers, according to IndieWire.

Read more: Horizon movie reviews – Kevin Costner’s 3 hour Western epic splits critics

Although neither Costner nor Baird are credited as writers on the Western series or any of its spin-offs, the 69-year-old believes some of his script was penned into 1883. 

The actor told the outlet: “So I don’t know if there’s any duplications there, whether he borrowed something, only he’d have to admit to it.”

The show which stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as John’s great-great-grandparents concluded in February 2022 before the premiere of its next chapter, 1923. 

Costner’s comments came over a year after reports that he and Taylor fell out over shooting schedules and contract disputes that were said to be delaying production on Yellowstone.

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After the original drama ended in January 2023, filming for season five part two finally resumed last week but without Costner. 

Following reports that he had previously signed up for “three more seasons” before the schedule delays it seems the final five episodes will not include him.

As a result, fans made calls for a time jump to justify his exit as the instalment ended on a major cliffhanger. 

As for his character’s departure, Costner previously stated: “So, the idea of going back, I’m open to that idea. 

“But it’s based on everything that first three or four were based on, which is the scripts.”