Summary

• Kevin Costner's long-term ion project, Horizon, is planned to consist of four films, though only two are guaranteed.
• Horizon's $100 million budget is self-funded by Costner, taking a gamble on the Western genre's appeal in modern cinema.
• Costner's decision to focus on Horizon led to his departure from Yellowstone, setting the stage for an ambitious career move.

Horizon: An American Saga is Kevin Costner's long-term Western ion project, and multiple films are slated to be released. The Yellowstone star has been planning the Horizon movies for decades, with its first script commissioned in the late 1980s. In the late '80s and early '90s, Kevin Costner was one of the world's biggest movie stars, with his directorial debut Dances With Wolves winning Best Picture. Surprisingly, he couldn't get Horizon funded then, but the project stuck with him for decades. With his Yellowstone popularity resurgence, Costner is betting on himself by self-funding the project.

The Western genre isn't as popular as it once was, but Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone has established a precedence for Horizon, proving an audience for it exists. Horizon repeats a multi-million dollar gamble for Kevin Costner, as the film's $100 million budget is coming out of his pocket. Non-franchise films haven't had the best of luck in recent years, but it's possible "Barbenheimer" set the stage for Horizon to be the 2024 summer event blockbuster, given that there will be two films in the saga releasing on June 28 and August 16.

Kevin Costner Plans On Making 4 Horizon Movies

Kevin Costner has been vocal that he intends for four feature films to take place in his Horizon saga, with a total runtime of roughly 11 hours. It's an incredibly ambitious project, but Costner's long-term ion for it is reassuring, and it could turn out to be something special. His first Western epic, Dances With Wolves, was an enormous commercial hit, on top of its critical and award acclaim. Costner has proven to be a master of the Western genre, but the primary question of Horizon's success will be whether modern movie audiences take interest.

On the risk of personal investment, Costner told Deadline, "I've mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house … But I did it without a thought. It has thrown my ant into a f**king conniption fit. But it's my life, and I believe in the idea and the story." His dedication to the project is irable, and though it's a risky career move, the trailers seem remarkably promising. Horizon: An American Saga has had a risky development strategy and a risky release strategy, but it could end up as an incredible innovation in filmmaking.

Only 2 Horizon Movies Are Guaranteed To Happen

Both Horizon films will be released in Summer 2024, with just a month and a half between them.

While Kevin Costner may be planning Horizon as a four-film saga, only the first two are guaranteed, meaning Costner will have the funding to make more if they perform well commercially. Both Horizon films will be released in Summer 2024, with just a month and a half between them. The short window between likely won't allow audiences who miss the first film in theaters to catch up on streaming, so seeing the first movie upon its release will be mandatory for the second. In that sense, it's an incredibly risky release plan that's reliant on audiences showing up in June.

Kevin Costner's Western epic must have astounding acclaim to draw audiences away from familiar franchise movies to see an original historical drama.

2024's summer release schedule has several big box office contenders, adding to the risk. Horizon: An American Saga will compete with A Quiet Place: Day One, Despicable Me 4, and Twisters for the July box office, while Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 will have to compete with Alien: Romulus and Borderlands for attention in August. Kevin Costner's Western epic must have astounding acclaim to draw audiences away from familiar franchise movies to see an original historical drama. Given Oppenheimer's $1 billion success, it's not impossible, though, for Costner, the budgeting for two more films is at stake.

Horizon's Ambitious Plans Explain Why Kevin Costner Left Yellowstone

Since Horizon has been in development, the narrative has centered around behind-the-scenes controversies with Yellowstone, as Kevin Costner hoped to take a step back from the show to focus on the film project instead. This has drastically altered the course of Yellowstone, as the drama will now likely end without Costner involved at all. Given how ambitious Horizon is, it makes sense that the actor wouldn't have time to commit to the TV show while self-financing, producing, directing, and starring in four Western films.

Yellowstone's future is still in the air, with the final season reportedly releasing in late 2024. The latest headlines have suggested Costner won't be taking part, with a report from Puck stating that Taylor Sheridan is "super happy with how he currently wraps up the show without Costner." The behind-the-scenes drama has already created comparisons between the Horizon: An American Saga franchise and the future Yellowstone spin-offs, as Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan will both have something to prove in each other's absence.

Sources: Deadline, Puck