Luke Grimes on Kevin Costner Returning for Yellowstone Spinoff

Luke Grimes says he hasn't spoken with Kevin Costner since they stopped working together on Yellowstone, and a return for John Dutton III in the spinoff series Marshals is unlikely.

"Never spoken to Kevin since we stopped working together. Not for any other reason other than just you know, we're both busy guys and life moves on," Grimes told USA Today. "But I mean, it would be cool. I doubt that will happen at this point."

Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton in the franchise, said that if Marshals does include a flashback, he'd rather it feature Kelsey Asbille's character, Monica, than Costner's John III. "I think if there was a flashback, I'd probably rather it be with Monica than John. I think that'd be more poignant to the character, but we'll see."

Costner's exit from Yellowstone was controversial. He and creator Taylor Sheridan had a falling out toward the end of the show's run, leading to John III being killed off in the series finale despite Yellowstone still being highly popular. Costner has not reunited with any of his former co-stars since leaving the franchise he helped build.

Marshals finds its own path

Marshals, which follows Kayce as he joins an elite U.S. Marshals unit in Montana, kicked off its second season as part of CBS's fall 2026 lineup. The episode featured the rescue of Tate and the re-establishment of the team.

Grimes acknowledged that bringing back John III in a vision or flashback would be less meaningful than including Monica. "That'd be more poignant to the character," he said.

Reported by Screen Rant, there are currently no plans to bring either John III or Monica back to Marshals. The CBS series is focused on establishing its own identity separate from Yellowstone, and its ratings suggest fans are happy with the show as it is.

• Kevin Costner
• Luke Grimes
• Marshals
• Paramount Network
• Taylor Sheridan
• Yellowstone