Taylor Sheridan is finally speaking out about the end of Yellowstone and Kevin Costner‘s exit.

The 53-year-old filmmaker opened up in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, admitting that he is disappointed about Kevin leaving the show.

If you didn’t see the drama, the back half of season five had been delayed by filming schedule conflicts.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I’m disappointed,” Taylor shared with the outlet. “It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”

He went on, explaining that he still holds Kevin as THE John Dutton.

“His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful … and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone,” he said. “[He] took a lot of this [reported tension] on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”

As for how John Dutton would depart the Yellowstone franchise, Taylor insists it won’t be as drastic as killing the character.

“I was killed in a f*** you car crash!” he said, in reference to his own character, David Hale, on Sons of Anarchy. “Whether [Dutton’s fate] inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling.”

He also opened up about the expanding franchise, with not only 1923, but Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and the untitled Matthew McConaughey spinoff.

“There are lots of places where a way of life that existed for 150 years is slamming against a new way of life, but the challenges are completely different,” he shared. “There are a lot of places you can tell this story.”

You can check out who will star in Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and get the latest news about season two of 1923.