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Yellowstone Director Christina Voros has explained how the series will end despite lead actor Kevin Costner's unexpected and untimely exit earlier this year.

Ahead of the hit western's long-awaited return this month, Voros spoke about how Costner's character John Dutton remains an “integral part” of the series' final episodes.

“John Dutton is still the focus,” she said The Hollywood Reporter. “His presence is essential. I think saying more would potentially jeopardize all the work that went into editing the scripts!

“But I think the reason people wonder, 'It's him, isn't it?' Where is he, where is he not?' That’s because he is the patriarch and his presence is an integral part of the story.”

Costner, who led Yellowstone After being a landowner in Montana and patriarch of the Dutton family for four seasons, he announced his exit from the hit series in June.

“I just realized I can't continue Season 5b or in the future,” he said in an Instagram video. “It was something that really changed me. I loved it and I know you did. I just wanted to let you know that I will not be returning.”

Early reports suggested that his exit was due to a dispute with series creator Taylor Sheridan over scheduling conflicts allegedly caused by the actor's desire to film his western passion project. Horizon – An American Saga.

However, Costner later denied these claims, saying he was prepared and ready to shoot whenever he was needed, but production kept getting pushed back.

“I did this for five years and wanted to work more than once a year,” he said in a June episode of Show today. “At one point we lost a whole year and I thought it can’t happen again.”

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He added that he would “love to come back.” Yellowstonealbeit “under the right circumstances”.

Yellowstone returns with the second part of its fifth and final season on November 10th at 8pm ET/PT on Paramount+.

As the series comes to a close, Sheridan isn't done expanding the world of Yellowstone. In fact, he recently announced that Michelle Pfeiffer will be directing the upcoming film Yellowstone Sequel series The Madison.

The new series follows a New York family that moves to the Madison River Valley in central Montana. It is said to deal with themes such as grief and human connection.