Horizon - What We Know So Far
Kevin Costner will be adding to the Western genre yet again with his upcoming film "Horizon." The filmmaker is already a staple in the genre, leading the modern-day Western "Yellowstone" and having previously starred in and directed the critically acclaimed hits "Dances with Wolves" and "Open Range."
Costner is plenty busy on Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone," but the star will be stepping behind the camera himself for "Horizon." This is the filmmaker's first time directing since 2003's "Open Range." Costner won a best director Academy Award for 1990's "Dances with Wolves" — which also took home best picture — so it's a little shocking that he's only officially stepped behind the camera on two feature films since then, per IMDb. Besides "Dances with Wolves" and "Open Range," there was "The Postman," which could be argued is a Western in its own right, albeit one set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where mail carriers are humanity's last hope.
Costner's next attempt at a sprawling epic is already attracting an impressive cast and moving through significant production milestones. It's definitely a passion project for the star as on top of directing, he'll be starring in and producing through his Territory Pictures production company. Here is everything we know so far about "Horizon."
What is the plot of Horizon?
Not a lot is specifically known about the plot of "Horizon," but its setting and some story details were teased when the project was first announced. The narrative takes place over a 15-year span in pre- and post-Civil War America. Kevin Costner himself said the plot will focus on the expansion of the American West.
"America's expansion into the west was one that was fraught with peril and intrigue from the natural elements, to the interactions with the indigenous peoples who lived on the land, and the determination and at many times ruthlessness of those who sought to settle it," he said, teasing the project to Deadline. "'Horizon' tells the story of that journey in an honest and forthcoming way, highlighting the points of view and consequences of the [characters'] life and death decisions."
An interesting influence on the plot will be how "Horizon" is structured. The plan is to split the story into four movies, each spanning close to three hours, according to Costner in an interview with Variety. In the same discussion with Variety, the filmmaker noted the story will include a lot of central women. "It really involves a lot of women, to be honest. There are a lot of men in it, too, but the women are really strong in 'Horizon,'" he said.
Who is starring in Horizon?
Kevin Costner will be starring in "Horizon" — not too much of a surprise considering he had a lead role in all three of the movies he directed. He's now surrounding himself with quite a cast for this project. In early August 2022, Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington were cast as the ensemble leads, and Jamie Campbell Bower, now famous for playing Vecna in "Stranger Things," revealed around the same time that he was also cast, according to a report from Deadline.
"I am very excited and humbled to go on this incredible and important journey with Kevin, who is one of the industry's finest and inspiring storytellers," Worthington said in the same report — high praise from a star who has worked with heavyweight directors like James Cameron. Miller was equally complimentary of her director.
Only weeks later, a handful of others were added to the cast, including Jena Malone, Alejandra Eddo, Tatanka Means, and Michael Rooker (via Deadline). Rooker's involvement marks a bit of a reunion as the "Walking Dead" star was part of the cast for 1991's "JFK," which Costner led for director Oliver Stone. Also in the impressive cast are "Broken Trail" star Thomas Haden Church and Luke Wilson, per The Hollywood Reporter.
What's the release date of Horizon?
There are a lot of questions about when — and how exactly — "Horizon" will be released, especially with Kevin Costner's plans for multiple feature-length movies out of the script, which was written by him and John Baird. This will notably be Costner's first official writing credit for film, via IMDb.
It's not known whether the movies will be released theatrically or to streaming. Costner acknowledged to Variety that eventually, his four movie plan will be divided into more digestible episodes timed between 40 minutes and an hour. "I'm happiest because at one point in TV — where you can get your largest audience — they're going to get to see it the way I intended it to be seen. It will eventually be cut up into [hour-long episodes] or 42 minutes — however TV works. But their first viewing of it will be as four 2-hour and 45-minute movies," he said.
According to Costner, each epic chapter will be released three months apart. It's not known when this will be, but "Horizon" kicked off production on August 29 in Utah (per Deadline). With "Open Range" released all the way back in 2003, even if "Horizon" manages to get its first chapter out in 2023, it will have been a full two decades between Costner directorial features. Considering the cast and subject matter of "Horizon," though, it'll likely be well worth the wait.