Yellowstone begins production on last season 5 episodes: What can fans expect from the final instalment?

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone. The modern-day Western has become one of TV's most popular series.

Filming has officially begun on season 5 of Yellowstone – but what can fans expect from the hit Western’s final instalment?

Production has kicked off in Montana for beloved Western series Yellowstone, with Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios still expecting the drama to return to screens in November, as previously announced by Paramount Network last year.

While there hasn’t been an update on who is joining the final season’s cast – or whether protagonist Kevin Costner will be returning in his role as John Dutton – we do know it is in the works and set to hit screens by the end of the year.

Here is everything we know about the much-anticipated series’ production.

Who will be in it?

Rumours of disagreements between Costner and showrunner Taylor Sheridan have run rampant over the past few months, with the two allegedly in a standoff over scheduling and scripts.

While it is not known what has been decided, Costner broke his silence over the series’ fate in April, hinting at his return.

“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. 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,” he told Entertainment Tonight while at CinemaCon promoting his self-funded epic Horizon: An American Saga, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

He added: “[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. 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.”

However, if Costner is not involved at this stage, with scripts finished and filming under way, it seems unlikely he will be returning as John Dutton in the hit Western’s final season.

Kevin Costner with Kelly Reilly in Yellowstone.

When will the final episodes air?

Yellowstone aired its last episode over a year ago, in January 2023, amid Paramount Network’s decision to split the season into two parts.

When a final season was announced, it was initially predicted by The Hollywood Reporter to hit screens “sometime in 2024″, and the publication was seemingly right. Paramount Network went on to announce that the second half of the last season would air in November.

Yesterday, it announced that production had finally begun in Montana, thus making a November release date likely.

Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton and Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in Yellowstone. Photo / Supplied

How many episodes will there be?

While it has not yet been officially announced how many episodes are being released, Sheridan hinted to The Hollywood Reporter that he might make more than six final episodes, as previously reported.

“If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they’ll give me 10,” he said. “It’ll be as long as it needs to be.”