The Big Picture
- Kevin Costner unveiled the first Horizon trailer, revealing the first two parts of his Western tetralogy will drop in June and August.
- Costner plans to continue Horizon as a four-part film series.
- Costner aims to educate audiences on the American West's history.
Earlier today, the first trailer for Horizon: An American Saga dropped, with Kevin Costner's long-gestating passion project finally seeing the light of day in a highly impressive first look. Horizon is set to be a two-part series, initially, that will drop in June and August of this year, but Costner has already revealed that his work on the third part of the tale is underway, now that he has more time on his hands, particularly after his departure from Yellowstone. The star departed the series, partly over the making of the film, but it was clear that Costner felt fully vindicated in his decision.
Speaking in a virtual conversation with journalists after the unveiling of the trailer for Horizon, Costner spoke at length about the film, the filmmaking process, and his plans to continue what he intends on being a four-part series of films, which is halfway to completion. Per Variety, he said:
“Trailers have always been kind of a favorite part for me, even as a boy going to the movies. You’re obviously there to see the movie you want, but isn’t it kind of cool when you see what’s coming? … And with that in mind, I did my very best to expose what’s going to be a four-part saga.”
Horizon marks Costner's first feature film (behind the camera) since 2003's Open Range, but he won the Oscar for Best Director back in the 1990s for another epic western, Dances with Wolves. He admitted he used "every trick in the book" that he learned from his other efforts, noting that he shot both parts of Horizon in just 52 days and that he'd be able to do more when it came to finishing off Parts 3 & 4, against which he even admitted leveraging his home to fund.
“This is by far the biggest struggle. I’m shocked at what we were able to get. I shot Dances with Wolves for 106 days," he said. "I shot the movie you’re just seeing right now in 52. … I did learn a lot, and I was able to use every trick in the book to try to bring this movie to ground and to bring it to an audience. And there’s four of them!”
Kevin Costner Has Four 'Horizon' Stories to Tell
So, for audiences who see Horizon's two-part release this summer, know it's only half of the story, and that Costner is "pushing that rock uphill" to get the second half of the story told. Ultimately, it'll be up to the audiences, but he won't be taking no for an answer, as he educates people on how the West was won and lost.
“The oldest profession is telling stories around a fire. We all want to hear a good one, and we don’t want somebody to waste our time. And I take my time. I hope I don’t waste your time,” Costner said. “I made four of these. I’d like for us to all take those journeys and try to have a high understanding of this first one. The second one’s already shot. I’m out there, heading west again, pushing a rock uphill trying to make the third one. I know I’m a little bit kind of a joke, or it’s maybe humorous to even watch me because it’s like, ‘Whoa, I wonder when he’s going to ever stop digging.’ I don’t know.”
Horizon: An American Saga will be released in two parts, on June 28 and August 16. Check out the trailer below:
Horizon: An American Saga
RChronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.
- Release Date
- June 28, 2024
- Director
- Kevin Costner
- Cast
- Kevin Costner , Sienna Miller , Michael Angarano , Jena Malone
- Main Genre
- Western
