An American Saga

''Horizon: An American Saga'' is a film series of four planned American epic westerns. It is directed, co-written, produced by, and starring Kevin Costner, from a script he co-wrote with Jon Baird and based on an original story co-written by Costner, Baird, and Mark Kasdan. The plot centers on fictional characters and takes place in pre- and post- Civil War America, and details the exploration of the American West. Depicting a twelve-year span, the films feature an ensemble cast portraying various characters and their experiences pioneering into new territory from their homes.

Development

Kevin Costner began developing the script for the film series in 1988, which he based on his personal belief that its viewers should be inspired by the true history of America in the Old West. Over the years, Costner continued to develop the script from originally co-starring two lead actors to featuring a complete ensemble cast. Costner explained that by further expanding the script into a series of four individual films, he wanted to accurately depict a 12-year history of the United States, including the impact of the American Civil War, and drawing an audience into the movie-going experience. Costner explained that the plot depicts the experiences of Native Americans, when immigrant settlers moved into their territory with a justification that they had paid European salesmen for the land.

In 2003, Costner negotiated production with The Walt Disney Company. During pre-production, however, he discovered that the studio lacked his required production budget, so he abandoned the Disney brand. In 2014, he expanded the series into a trilogy. Development continued over the years, until Costner collaborated with Jon Baird on the script in 2012 where it developed into four separate films; the contents and story of which would intentionally be darker than his previous westerns. Lacking major production studio initial involvement, Costner invested $38 million of his own money into the budget with additional funding supplied by two unnamed investors, and became determined to begin production as quickly as possible. In May 2024, Costner confirmed that the ''Horizon'' film series will be at least four installments, while explaining that the production and release schedule of the first two films was in part due to his personal desire to see the script realized in his lifetime. He wanted to ensure that his son Hayes could play the character he had written for him, before outgrowing the part. Later, Costner detailed the various events in his life which had delayed the realization of the films, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, the death of his parents in 2021, scheduling conflicts including a contract dispute with Paramount Pictures and Taylor Sheridan on the final season of ''Yellowstone'', a divorce with Christine Baumgartner, and the writers'/ actors' strikes of 2023. He was determined to "work...to get this thing finished".

Contrary to some reports, Costner rejected the idea that the development of the film series directly influenced his departure from the ''Yellowstone'' television series. He explained that the final season had been restructured multiple times and was subjected to various production delays, which conflicted with the production schedule on the prioritized film series. Citing an example with the lack of completed scripts for a last season which would be split into two separate parts, Costner stated that he is open to completing additional photography to finish his role in the series. However, the filmmaker stated that when rewrites for the show were ongoing, he allowed Sheridan to read the script for the ''Horizon'' films with hopes that it could inspire, while previously offering to provide assistance in writing his character out of ''Yellowstone'' in a climactic death scene. He reportedly offered to give some time off from his films production schedule to do so, but these options have never materialized.

When addressing the various festival debuts of each installment (Cannes Film Festival for ''Chapter 1'', and Venice Film Festival for ''Chapter 2''), Costner expressed interest in returning to Cannes for ''Chapter 3''. He later explained plans for additional monetary gains through licensing the series every several years through streaming and home video, regardless of their box office performance. Working with Warner Bros., plans are for each chapter to be released four to six months after the previous installment. The filmmaker later stated that he developed the series of films, with the quality of classic westerns in mind, and though he has considered developing additional sequels set during contemporary times, Costner determined that the series will end with ''Chapter 4''; expressing hopes that families would go to theaters together to view each installment upon their release.

Films

''Chapter 1'' (2024)

In January 2022, it was announced that Kevin Costner would direct his fourth feature film, from a script he co-wrote with Jon Baird. Costner is producer, with principal photography scheduled in August 2022 in Utah. This is a joint-venture production between Territory Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. is distributor. In June 2022, he stated that filming in the state has long been his goal, with scouting in the state already having taken place. Later that month, Costner revealed that his project had evolved into four "different films that all connect, so you're watching a saga of ..storylines". Production was in the casting phase of pre-production, with photography scheduled to start later that year. Each film is intended to be 2 hours and 45 minutes in length, and Costner stated that once all the films are released, they will be compiled and re-released as a miniseries on television.

Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Jena Malone, Alejandro Edda, Tatanka Means, and Michael Rooker have been cast in various roles in the film series. In September 2022, Isabelle Fuhrman was cast in an undisclosed role. By November of that year, principal photography had wrapped. In May 2024, it was revealed that the Writers Guild of America had awarded credits for the first two films to Costner and Jon Baird as screenwriters from an original story co-written by Costner, Baird, and Mark Kasdan.

In October 2023, the official title was announced as ''Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1''. The first trailer debuted, revealing a June 28, 2024 release date.

''Chapter 2'' (2024)

Filming began in April 2023, with Glynn Turman, Kathleen Quinlan, and Giovanni Ribisi joining the cast. Costner, Miller, Worthington, Ella Hunt, Will Patton

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