Luke Grimes Says “Yellowstone” Has Not Started Filming & Explains Why

Yellowstone / YouTube

Yellowstone Star Luke Grimes Confirms The Cast Has Not Filmed Any New Episodes For The Second Half Of Season 5

It’s been hard to keep up with everything happening (or rather, not happening) with Yellowstone since the show took its midseason break in January.

To briefly sum it up, Paramount announced in May that Season 5 (the show’s current season) will be its last. At that time, Paramount estimated the second half of Season 5 would start in November. A new sequel series is also on the way, with Matthew McConaughey reportedly in talks to have a role in the project.

The news came amid rumors about behind-the-scenes drama. Many of these rumors centered around series lead Kevin Costner. Claims surfaced he wanted to spend less time on set to focus on his new movie series, Horizon.

Hollywood Strikes Halt Progress On Scripted Shows, Including The Prequel Series 1923

However, as the months passed, the Yellowstone cast made it clear there’s been no progress on new episodes. Now, the Writers Guild of America strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike have affected Yellowstone and other scripted series and films.

RELATED: “YELLOWSTONE” TO MAKE BROADCAST DEBUT ON CBS THIS FALL

Production on the Yellowstone prequel 1923 was delayed indefinitely due to the writers strike. It seemed clear production would be delayed on Yellowstone too, despite no official announcement stating such.

Actors who are members of SAG-AFTRA can’t work during the strike, nor promote their projects.

Dawn Olivieri, who plays Sarah Atwood, referenced the situation on Instagram. Before the strike, she posted the iconic “Y” brand every few days to manifest the cast’s return to filming.

After the strike, she shared a post and said:

“So as part of that order, we are unable to post anything related to any production until the order is rescinded. So In solidarity, I am replacing our beloved ranch logo with a black screen until we are all able to go back to work.”

 

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A post shared by Dawn Olivieri (@dawnolivieri)

What Luke Grimes Had To Say About The Writers Strike & How It Affects Yellowstone

More recently, Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, confirmed the Yellowstone cast has not started working on new episodes.

“We have not [started filming the second half of season 5] because of the writers strike,” Grimes confirmed in an interview with PEOPLE that occurred before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Grimes explained otherwise, the cast would likely be on set. “I think we would be [filming] if it weren’t for that,” he said. “But that takes precedence over everything. They got to get that all sorted, and then we’ll be getting after it.”

For now, Yellowstone fans will just have to revisit old episodes while waiting for the show’s return.