The relationship between Kevin Costner and the Yellowstone team has been icy since last winter, when fans learned there was a major — and as it turns out, damning — contract snag. On Thursday (Jan. 18), both sides signaled a thaw.

• Yellowstone will wrap after Season 5 in late 2024, mostly because Costner and show producers could not agree on a new contract for the star.
• He reportedly wanted more time to film his four-part movie series Horizon.
• During his divorce proceedings, fans learned he was not under contract for the rest of Season 5 or beyond.

In September, fans learned Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan had discussed his future with optimism in the summer, but hit a snag when it came to creative control. Soon after, Paramount announced the show was ending.

Unsubstantiated rumblings that Costner may return continue to provide hope he could come back to — at the very least — film John Dutton’s death scene (the Dutton Rules podcast team notes that a lawsuit over his play-or-pay deal never materialized, perhaps indicating a compromise). There was no outward sign of progress, however, until now.

Thursday was Costner’s 69th birthday, and the show’s social media team wished him well. The actor noticed.

“Thanks guys,” he shared with a cowboy hat emoji.

It’s not much, but this is the guy who failed to mention Yellowstone or any of his fellow cast or crew in accepting a Golden Globe for his role on Yellowstone.

Fans used the exchange to pepper him with questions about if he’ll come back, and nobody answered that, but here’s hoping.

The announced end of Season 5 did allow for a planned plot twist for Season 6 to emerge. In November, singer Cory Asbury shared that he was booked to play a long-lost Dutton brother, but that was squashed with the show’s ending planned.