Yellowstone star Luke Grimes has put his time on the show firmly behind him as he plugs his star-studded, twisted new western.

Luke, 41, became a household name on the smash hit series playing Kayce Dutton, the son of Kevin Costner’s rancher patriarch John Dutton.

Kevin sensationally left the show before its final half-season, amid explosive reports that he clashed with its creator Taylor Sheridan.

In the wake of his departure, Luke rhapsodized about how the last episodes were ‘the easiest’ to film because ‘some of the conflict was gone,’ kicking up a flurry of rumors that he had also feuded with Kevin, though he denied ‘any hard feelings.’

Now the series is over and Luke is hard at work promoting his latest entry in the western genre – Eddington, a film by Midsommar and Hereditary director Ari Aster.

Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, seemingly at the onset of the Black Lives Matter riots, the movie features Luke amid a formidable A-list cast including Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Pedro Pascal.

Luke shared a poster for the film on Instagram, which features the cheeky hashtag ‘Hindsight is 2020,’ a clear nod to the coronavirus era.

The image is a famous snap by David Wojnarowicz of buffaloes tumbling off a cliff, taken during the AIDS epidemic that claimed the photographer’s own life.

Eddington stars Joaquin as a small-town sheriff in New Mexico and Pedro as the local mayor, locked in a battle of wills that drags in the people around them.

With a cast that features Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward and Clifton Collins Jr., Eddington is slated for release on July 18.

Luke’s post comes weeks after it emerged that he is likely to star on an upcoming Yellowstone spinoff about Kayce, with a title yet to be unveiled, via Parade.

It remains unknown whether the show will feature Kayce’s wife Monica and their son Tate, played respectively on the original series by Kelsey Asbille and Brecken Merrill.

Luke starred throughout the hugely successful five-season run of Yellowstone as Kayce Dutton, one of the family of ranchers at the center of the story.

Kevin left the show after filming only the first half of season five, prompting his character John to be killed off in a murder-for-hire plot.

His departure came under a cloud of rumors that he feuded with Taylor Sheridan, though he evidently ultimately left the show over scheduling conflicts with his own four-part Western movie Horizon, which he directed, starred in and co-wrote.

Horizon, a decades-long passion project Kevin poured over $38 million of his own money into, debuted its first part last year to dismal box office results.

Meanwhile Yellowstone aired the last half of season five in 2024, dividing fans – and shortly thereafter, Luke gave a telling interview about Kevin’s exit.

‘Hopefully everyone can see that it was time,’ Luke said of John Dutton being killed off, in an interview with Men’s Health. ‘To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone.’

He shared: ‘Obviously, it didn’t make it super fun to be around… Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.’

Luke revealed he had not spoken to Kevin since the Oscar-winner left the show, explaining with a laugh: ‘It’s not a case of any hard feelings or anything; its just, he’s Kevin Costner. He’s a big deal.’

He clarified: ‘I do have his phone number – I just don’t feel like it’s my place to reach out. He can reach out to me if he wants.’

In footage exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, Kevin shut down a question about feud rumors with Luke, but confirmed they had not spoken since the finale aired.