Kevin Costner was one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men and directors long before he strolled into the role of John Dutton III and took control of the family property on Yellowstone. The Oscar and Emmy winner is now eschewing the tiny screen in favour of returning to his origins.
This summer, two sections of Costner’s huge Western epic will be released in theatres; it may be his most ambitious endeavour to date.
Naturally, Costner will be starring in both flicks as this is a man bred to mount up and look into the camera from beneath a wide-brimmed Stetson. Fans of Horse Opera and Costner are incredibly excited about the first trailer released today.
Plot Of The Movie
Horizon, which is set in the years following the Civil War, will chronicle the story of the settlement of the American West on a scale that very few directors, including Costner, would even consider. Grandiose epics have characterized the actor-writer-director’s forty-year Hollywood career, but not even the legendary Kevin Costner has tackled a project this ambitious before.
This project, which has a $100 million budget and two completed films plus two more in the works, is expected to make Gloomy Pigeon look like Lonesome Dove. Costner has had the idea for the films for thirty years; in fact, he partially funded them by taking out a loan on his Santa Barbara house.
During a press conference to announce the premiere of the Horizon trailer, Costner commented, “When no one wanted to make the first one, I got the bright idea to make four.” I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, then. However, I want it to depart from the typical Western trope of an established town. Nobody is aware of [the town’s] origins.
Yes, Horizon will centre on the decades-long clash of cultures that accompanied westward development, in contrast to Westerns, which centre on the conflict between sheriffs and outlaws in a busy boomtown.
It’s a lot, to be sure, but Costner appears confident in his abilities to bring history to life for a new generation of viewers, having left Yellowstone to work on these projects. On February 26, the first full-length trailer for Horizon was unveiled, capping months of anticipation.
Bright colours, expansive orchestral pieces, wagon trains, and intense gunfights all signal a significant departure from the gritty, darker content that has dominated the genre in recent years. One of the riskiest movie projects in Hollywood history is Horizon, but if the positive feedback the teaser received on social media is any guide, those risks might just pay off.
Release Date For Horizon: An American Saga
It’s only a matter of weeks between the two release dates! On July 28, the first chapter will be released in theatres, and on August 16, the second episode. Naturally, this implies that both movies will be shown simultaneously in theatres in a lot of markets, which is unusual for a movie series!
Cast Of The Movie
Apart from Costner, of course, performances in the first two movies will come from Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt, and Jamie Campbell Bower, among others. Sienna Miller will also be in them. It might be simpler to enumerate the ruggedly attractive character actors that Horizon won’t be including at this point.
