Country Singer Cory Asbury Says He Nearly PlayedYellowstone's Fourth Dutton Brother

Mar. 15, 2025

Cory Asbury revealed he was set to play a fourth Dutton brother in ‘Yellowstone’.Photo:Terry Wyatt/Getty, Kevin Mazur/Getty

Terry Wyatt/Getty, Kevin Mazur/Getty

WithYellowstonecoming to an end after season 5, fans won’t have the opportunity to meet another member of the Dutton family.

Country singer Cory Asbury revealed he was slated to portray the “long-lost brother” ofLuke Grimes’ Kayce Dutton in a potential sixth season of the hit Paramount series beforenews broke that season five would be the show’s last.

“I was fired up about it and so bummed when it was canceled, so bummed,” Asbury, 38, toldTaste of Countryduring anInstagram Live Q&Awith podcast host Adison Haager.

The musician shared that he and his family had plans to relocate to Montana in order for him to film for the show prior to the announcement.

“We were gonna move to Montana for a full year. We were ready, our family was ready” he said, adding that his wife, Anna, “gave me the OK and our kids were like, ‘OK, cool, we’ll go live in Montana.’”

He added: “Because they were like, ‘Yeah, it’ll take a full year of your life, you’ll have to cancel all your shows,’ and I was like, yeah, alright, cool. Sounds good.”

Kevin Costner and Luke Grimes in ‘Yellowstone’.Paramount Network

While he didn’t get a chance to meet Grimes or the show’s creator,Taylor Sheridan, he recalled the casting director telling him that they both looked at his social media and thought he was “really cool” and a good fit for the role.

Asbury also revealed that he was asked not to share information about the would’ve-been character, “but then it canceled and I was like, ‘Screw this, I’m talking about it.’ ”

He added of the missed opportunity, “It’s just sad. It’s a sad reality.”

Paramount did immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The news of a potentially expanded Dutton family storyline comes after months of speculation over what led to the decision to end the hit show after five seasons.

Paramount announced this month thatthe final installment of the series will air in November 2024, a full year after it was originally slated for release, as a result ofthe writers’andactors’ strikeearlier this year.

The first part of the final season began airing in November 2022, andthe midseason finaleaired on Jan. 1, 2023. Since then, the fate of the show’s lead,Kevin Costner, became increasingly unclear asmuch of the cast was a no-show at a panelabout the series in April followingreports that Matthew McConaughey was joining the show and Costner, 68, was departing.

Kelly Reilly, Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes and Wes Bentley in season 2 of ‘Yellowstone’.Emerson Miller/Paramount Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

In September, during a child support hearing as part of his divorce settlement withhis wife of 18 years, Christine Baumgartner, Costner revealed that his decision to leave the show resulted from creative differences behind the scenes — and logistical challenges.

While on the stand in Santa Barbara, Calif., he shared that a“long, hard-fought negotiation” about splitting season 5 into two parts was behind his decision to leavethe Paramount Network series.

Costner said he needed to focus on his own Western epic,the four-part movie seriesHorizon: An American Saga, which didn’t work with filmingYellowstonetwice a year. Costner said he “changed” his schedule to shoot the first part of season 5, adding, “That’s a big deal in this world.”

The cast of ‘Yellowstone’: Kelly Reilly, Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille and Wes Bentley.Paramount Network

At that point, the first part of the season wasn’t finished yet, and there were “no scripts written” for the second part of season 5, he said.

Costner testified that he wanted to return for the sixth season of the Western series but “I couldn’t help them any more. We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative…”

Before ultimately walking away, the actor said he made one last effort to come back and told his representatives “have them pay me whatever number, we came up with a number, and they [Yellowstone] walked away.” He said on the stand he believed that number was $12 million.

When asked if he will receive a payout from the second part ofYellowstoneseason 5, Costner responded, “I will probably go to court over it.”

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Yellowstone’s first four seasons and the first half of season 5 are streaming now on Peacock.

source: people.com