Yellowstone bosses shares long-awaited season five update - as well as some disappointing news

Yellowstone season five is officially underway! The Paramount Network has announced that the smash-hit show starring Kevin Costner has kicked off filming on location in Montana this week.

MORE: Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan reveals season five will be coming to screens sooner than expected

The Oscar-winning actor will be reprising his role as Dutton family patriarch John in the Western drama alongside the likes of Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Forrie Smith and Gil Birmingham.

WATCH: Are you a fan of Yellowstone?

As previously reported, season five will be the show's longest season to date at 14 episodes long rather than the typical ten. However, there's one major caveat - as a result, the upcoming season will be split into two seven-episode offerings.

MORE: 7 shows to watch while you wait for Yellowstone season five

MORE: See the cast of Yellowstone and their real-life families

However, there is some good news: the first offering may be hitting screens perhaps earlier than viewers anticipated. In a recent chat with Variety, creator Taylor Sheridan confirmed that the release date for the new season has been brought forward. While he didn't say so himself, the article reports that the upcoming season has been given a "premiere date in late summer".

yellowstone
yellowstone

Filming for season five of the Western drama kicked off this week

That means we'll probably see it land on screens in either August or September 2022, instead of in Autumn as we originally expected.

Meanwhile, Jen Landon and Kathryn Kelly, who play Teeter and Emily respectively, have been promoted to series regular for season five so viewers can expect to see more of them around the ranch in the upcoming episodes.

MORE: Everything you need to know about new Yellowstone spinoff series 1932

The new season will also be used to launch "several" new spinoff shows from co-creator Taylor Sheridan. As fans will recall, prior to the premiere of prequel series 1883, which chronicled the Dutton family's humble beginnings in the late 19th century, viewers got a glimpse at Faith Hill's Margaret Dutton and Tim McGraw's James Dutton in a flashback scene.

It seems likely that viewers can expect the same from the recently announced new spinoff series, 1932, which will serve as a sequel to 1883. The new series will move ahead almost 50 years and follow a new generation of the Dutton family during the prohibition period and the Great Depression.

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