The “Yellowstone” drama continues. The main cast of the show, along with creator Taylor Sheridan, were expected to attend PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Saturday evening — but unexpectedly didn’t show up.
About 30 minutes before the red carpet was supposed to begin at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, press was let in and given a tip sheet with four only cast member names on it: Josh Lucas, Wendy Moniz, Mo Brings Plenty and Dawn Olivieri. Additionally, Paramount Network development president Keith Cox was also attended, but did not speak to press on the carpet.
The original list of those who were supposed to be there included Sheridan and executive producer David Glasser, as well as the show’s stars Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham and Jacki Weaver. Variety was told that the cast could not attend due to scheduling conflicts.
Fans of the show who bought tickets were also surprised by the last-minute change. The cast list was never updated on the PaleyFest website.
“Yeah as someone who paid over $100 a ticket I’m pretty fn pissed. Quite the bait and switch. People are walking out,” one audience member tweeted on Saturday night as the panel began. Another asked, “Will there be refunds for #yellowstone #PaleyFest we drove two hours to the cast you said would be here. What a joke and rip off.”
Representatives for PaleyFest didn’t immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
During the red carpet, the cast in attendance confirmed that the second half of Season 5, which is supposed to air in the summer on Paramount Network, has not yet started filming and they have not been given a start date.
At the beginning of the panel, Cox told the crowd that he’s “very confident” Costner is still committed to the series and is hopeful that production will begin soon.
In February, sources told Variety that the actor, who has portrayed John Dutton since the western debuted in 2018, may be leaving the show as his availability has changed over the last five years. Additionally, discussions began to expand the franchise (further than prequels “1883” and “1923”) with a new show starring Matthew McConaughey.
“Kevin Costner is a big part of ‘Yellowstone’ and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come,” a network spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner.”