Kevin Costner is hoping a few years from now, moviegoers will have the opportunity to binge four Horizon movies in theaters.
“Maybe a year and a half, two years from now, they will come (to theaters) for 12 hours,” he told the assembled crowd of theater owners Tuesday at CinemaCon, where he teased his two-part Horizon films.
So far, only two of his planned four films have been made, he acknowledged, but he has two more scripts ready to go, should the risky film project he helped finance be successful.
“When I think about the promise of America, there was a promise out here, if you could go. If you were tough enough, if you were mean enough, if you were resourceful enough, if you were lucky enough, you could take what you wanted in America,” Costner said of the appeal of the American West. “That promise meant that we step on a whole group of people who had been here for thousands of years. But that’s what happened in America … I don’t pass judgment because I don’t want to look down on people’s resourcefulness.”
It was no surprise to see Costner turn up as this summer is go-time for the project. Warner Bros. has set a dual theatrical release for Horizon with part one rolling out on June 28, and the second chapter following less than two months later, on Aug. 16. When Warner Bros. announced its partnership on the film, domestic distribution president Jeff Goldstein said the studio intends to make Horizon the “theatrical event of the summer.” Key to that will be activating Costner’s muscle at the box office after a decades-long career, and luring in fans from that other Western of his on the small screen, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone.
Horizon is described as a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. The story spans the four years of the Civil War, from 1861-1865, and is said to explore “the lure of the Old West and how it was won — and lost — through the blood, sweat and tears of many.”
Costner co-wrote the script with Jon Baird (The Explorers Guild) and produces through his Territory Pictures. Costner produced the New Line Cinema presentation alongside Howard Kaplan and Mark Gillard with Danny Peykoff, Robert Scannell, Armyan Bernstein, Charlie Lyons, Barry Berg and Rod Lake executive producing.
He also stars opposite a stacked ensemble that includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Danny Huston, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Wasé Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Angus Macfadyen, Kathleen Quinlan, James Russo, Jeff Fahey, David O’Hara, Tom Everett, Glynn Turman, Giovanni Ribisi and more.
The project marks Costner’s return to the director’s chair for the first time since his 2003 film Open Range, but of course, he’s best known as an auteur for his best picture winner Dances with Wolves. Costner’s CinemaCon appearance comes one day after the Cannes Film Festival confirmed that the film — full title Horizon: An American Saga — will have its world premiere there on May 19. Costner hasn’t been seen on the Cannes red carpet since he attended the festival more than 20 years ago, in 2003, for the world premiere of The Matrix Reloaded.
“I’ve been waiting for the right time to return and I’m proud to say that this time has come,” Costner said. “Horizon: An American Saga is a story that began 35 years ago, and I can’t think of a better place than Cannes to reveal to the world the result of such a wonderful adventure. The French have always supported films and believed deeply in filmmaking. Just as I believe deeply in my film.”