Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.

Jamie Campbell Bower has explained his showdown with Kevin Costner in the sprawling frontier epic Horizon: An American Saga. A long-term passion project of Costner, who had initially begun writing drafts as far back as 1988, the Western drama is being conceived as a four-part motion picture series covering a multi-decade span in pre- and post-Civil War America. Horizon: An American Saga features an expansive ensemble cast that includes the likes of Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington and Luke Wilson, with Bower playing the vengeance-obsessed Caleb Sykes in the franchise’s first chapter.

Ahead of Horizon: An American Saga’s US premiere, Bower spoke with Screen Rant about his role in the Western epic and his showdown with Costner’s Hayes Ellison. Suggesting that he began psyching himself up for the scene by building on his character’s rage and desire to win, Bower also explained that there was also a great deal of trust between himself and Costner as both his co-star and director. Check out his comments below:

I mean, first of all, “Don’t screw it up” is something that was there. But then, also, just this kind of burning rage. I’ve got a bunch of videos that I was doing prior to filming that, just kind of building this burning desire to win. So, there was that, but then also, on a more human level, on a more personal level, I think there was just a lot of trust between myself and Kevin there. There were these great moments that Kevin orchestrated within that scene with the characters, there’s a slight shift, one kind of steps down a little, and one steps up, and all of a sudden, the power is taken out of one hand and put into another.

When I get to see those things that a director does, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I love that stuff. So, I had a great time doing it, I think we both did. That scene means a lot to Kevin, it’s sort of an introduction for his character, and I know he really wanted that to land, and I hope that we were able to do that justice for his character. I’ve seen it, I think it’s cool, it looks great, looks bada–, so yeah, I’m stoked.

Could Kevin Costner’s Western Epic Challenge Current Industry Trends?

Horizon: An American Saga is a box office gamble like few others.

Reportedly investing as much as $38 million of his own money into producing the first two installments of his new Western saga, Costner clearly has a great deal of faith in his expansive plans for Horizon: An American Saga. Marking a return to some of the more iconic Western themes and tropes of years gone by, the star’s ambitious plans seem to intentionally fly in the face of contemporary industry trends that have increasingly seen the box office dominated by a long succession of superhero movies and established tentpole franchises.

Ironically, the same kind of ongoing preoccupation with Hollywood superheroes directly mirrors the film industry’s previous obsession with Westerns that lasted from the late 1930s right up until its peak in the 1950s. Vastly outnumbering any other kind of movie produced during those periods, even veteran filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg have likened the current superhero trend to that of the previous peak of Western movies. Yet, with many commentators suggesting the superhero bubble is finally about to burst, the question remains whether Costner’s latest epic could mark the start of a sudden shift back to the older, beloved genre.

While Western movies never really went away, audiences that are beginning to increasingly complain of superhero fatigue may be keen to instead turn their attention back to the same genre that once inspired generations past. Though Horizon: An American Saga’s box office predictions may not provide such an optimistic forecast, if Western movies have proven anything, it is that sometimes the biggest gambles are those that reap the largest rewards.