The full trailer for Horizon: An American Saga has finally landed – and reveals why Kevin Costner exited his runaway hit Yellowstone to make it. Like Clint Eastwood before him, Costner is closely tied to Westerns. Costner hasn’t made as many Westerns as old Clint, of course, but with movies like Dances with Wolves or Open Range, he’s undeniably made his mark on the genre too. There’s something about Costner’s screen presence that lends itself well to Westerns, which can even be seen in Yellowstone.
Debuting in 2018, this modern Western series follows the Dutton family – led by Costner’s patriarch John – as they battle to hold onto their sprawling Montana ranch. Yellowstone gave Costner a late-career boost and quickly became one of the most-watched shows in the U.S. There are multiple spinoffs too, but despite the success of the Taylor Sheridan-created show, it appears its leading man won’t be returning. Instead, Costner is focusing on his upcoming pet project Horizon: An American Saga, a planned series of four Western movies.
Is Kevin Costner’s Horizon Based On A True Story?
Horizon’s Trailer Shows Just How Epic Kevin Costner’s Western Saga Will Be
To put things in context, Costner has been trying to make Horizon for 35 years. Now, Horizon: An American Saga’s full trailer has arrived, showing off both the epic scale and impressive ensemble of the movie duology.
From the beautiful vistas of Utah to the large cast of characters, the film is definitely the result of a filmmaker daydreaming about a project for over three decades. The circumstances behind his Yellowstone exit could have been smoother, but it says a lot he would leave a hit show and a large payday to focus on something he’s wanted to produce since 1988. More than that, Costner has sunk his own money into Horizon’s $100 million budget to make it happen.
Horizon Is A Major Risk For Kevin Costner, But One Worth Taking
Every Kevin Costner Western Movie | Release Year |
|---|---|
Silverdo | 1985 |
Dances with Wolves | 1990 |
Wyatt Earp | 1994 |
Open Range | 2003 |
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 | June 28, 2024 |
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 | August 16, 2024 |
The Horizon: An American Saga films will cover 15 years, and will focus on the settlement of the West, both before and after the Civil War. While there’s clear excitement for the first two chapters, there’s no sugarcoating the risk Costner is taking. Horizon is an expensive, multipart project that’s also a Western, which isn’t the hippest genre among younger audiences. There’s every chance the first two entries could bomb, and Costner won’t get to finish the story.
According to the New York Post, Costner has invested about $50 million of his own fortune into Horizon, meaning there’s more riding on the films than critical success. Doom and gloom aside, it will be interesting to see how well the first two installments perform, and if the so-called “Dad Movie” crowd will turn up in droves. There’s a good chance Horizon: An American Saga will not only succeed but could spark a Western revival like Dances with Wolves once did.
Horizon: An American Saga
Horizon: An American Saga is a Western film directed by Kevin Costner, and sees him in the starring role. The film explores multiple generations surrounding the expansion of the American West before and after the Civil War. Horizon is the first in a series of four films, all of which were greenlit by Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Director
- Kevin Costner
- Release Date
- June 28, 2024
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
