Kevin Costner fans rejoice: the Yellowstone and The Bodyguard actor is set to release a new Western epic entitled Horizon: An American Saga, which will take the form of two separate chapters to be released in June and August of 2024.
The project has been in the works for a while, and has caused some issues on the Yellowstone set too. But what are the exact release dates of Horizon: An American Saga‘s first two chapters? And why has Costner’s passion project proven so divisive for some of his current co-workers? Read ahead to find out what the exact release dates are of Costner’s new film, and why there’s been so much drama around it over the past few months.
When will Horizon: An American Saga be released?
As per THR, Warner Bros. have recently confirmed that Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 will be hitting theaters on June 28 2024, followed just under two months later by Chapter 2 (August 16). While this is quite the rapid turnaround between releases, given that we live in the age of streaming and instant gratification it could be a marker of things to come in the future. The film is being released by New Line, who are the company behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy and countless other popular movies, so there’s lots of pre-existing pedigree.
How much money has Costner pooled into Horizon: An American Saga?
Thanks to the messy business of Costner’s recent divorce, we actually have some pretty clear information about just how much money he’s put into this project thanks to the court filings. We know for sure he contributed at least $20 million of his own cash to the production budget, although this is spread over four films as there is set to be another two in the series after next year’s releases. Although we didn’t know the exact figure before, Costner did previously tell Deadline that he’d “mortgated 10 acres on the water in Satna Barbara where I was going to build my last house…but I did it without a thought. It has thrown my accountant into a f**king conniption fit. But it’s my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.” Given property prices in that region of California, the $20 million figure fits quite well. Apparently, Costner has been trying to get the film into the world since the late eighties, so it really is his passion project. Let’s just hope for his sake it’s a hit!
Why has Kostner’s work on Horizon: An American Saga caused issues on the Yellowstone set?
Kostner’s near obsession with finally getting Horizon: An American Saga off the ground has publicly impacted his other major job at the moment: Yellowstone. These issues have led to a lot of press as the actor has been slowly but messily extricating himself from the hit Paramount show in an attempt to fully focus on his baby. The sniping has been very catty, with the Yellowstone team claiming that Costner has become unavailable, while the actor’s team has hit back with accusations that script delays are the real issue.
Regardless, it’s now highly unclear if Costner is going to reprise his role as John Dutton in the upcoming second half of the fifth season of Yellowstone, despite the fact he won a Golden Globe for the role earlier this year. Paramount hasn’t said if the show will be renewed for a sixth season, but there are some very strong rumors that the show will be expanded into an entire universe, so the Yellowstone story can continue without focusing on the Duttons. Matthew McConaughey has been touted as a lead for this potential spin-off.
Who is set to star in Horizon: An American Saga?
The confirmed cast for Horizon: An American Saga is full of some really famous faces. Alongside Costner (who is also directing the films) will be Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Danny Huston, Jeff Fahey, Isabelle Fuhrman, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Ella Hunt. So, plenty of talent for Costner to work with.