Yellowstone is bringing in a lot of money for Kevin Costner. Costner is making north of one million dollars per episode of Yellowstone, according to Matt Belloni, formerly of The Hollywood Reporter, in his Puck newsletter. He went on to say that the price is a significant rise from Costner’s salary in Season 1 and that the actor originally agreed to join the show when it was planned as a miniseries.
Costner was reportedly paid $500,000 each episode for Season 1 when he first signed on to Yellowstone. Along the process, and as the show’s popularity has risen, that number has exploded. For Season 4, he reportedly renegotiated and received $1.2 million per episode. For Season 5 and beyond, that number is expected to rise. In addition, in exchange for negotiating his future seasons on the show, Costner will receive an overhead contract.
Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018, starred Costner as John Dutton. The fourth season of the show ended in January. Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and Cole Hauser are all-star in Yellowstone. The show has received such much praise that it has produced a spinoff, 1883, which acts as a prologue to Yellowstone and follows the first generation of the Dutton family. Margaret and James Dutton, the matriarch and patriarch of the Dutton family, are played by real-life couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw in the film 1883, which was released in late 2021.
Following the premiere of Yellowstone in 2018, Costner spoke with Deadline about what drew him to the show. He added that the fact that the film would be shot in the Bitterroot Valley piqued his curiosity when he first read the script. The actor went on to say that he knows what he’s looking for in a film and that Yellowstone provided him with everything he needed.
According to Costner, “It must entertain you, and you must be able to recognize yourself in it. Is it possible for people to rally around this notion and then pivot your proposal off of it? Yellowstone and I were a fantastic match.” He went on to preview the program that fans know and love today, saying, “While the American west is dying, the DNA of the characters has a level of unpredictability, of danger.”
Also, Read 8 Arrested in Operation Targeting Violent Crime in Carlsbad
