Kevin Costner has seemingly moved on from his award-winning stint as the neo-Western patriarch John Dutton, to focus his creative attentions on Horizon, a new two-part Western epic directed by Costner, that’s scheduled for 2024.
“This is America… we don’t share land here,” John Dutton famously professes in defiance during yet another stand-off over the Yellowstone Ranch. It’s a common idea that links the inherent struggles endured by the Dutton family as it defends its property from its many, many enemies.
But it appears that this idea doesn’t necessarily stretch to ideas, as Kevin Costner’s long-awaited passion project set in the American West has now achieved its first release, set for 2024… and it could reveal why Costner decided to leave the Yellowstone Ranch in such explosive circumstances.
Originally intended to be set in four parts released every three months, Horizon is undeniably one of Kevin Costner’s passion projects that’s been in the works for years. Chapter 1 is set to be released on 28 June 2024, whilst Chapter 2 will land on 16 August 2024, as revealed in the trailer.
WATCH The trailer for Kevin Costner’s Western epic Horizon below.
Details surrounding Costner’s Western saga are still under wraps, although it’s understood to follow the multi-faceted, 15-year period as America continues its unrelenting expansion and settlement into the West.
“It’s a beautiful story; it’s a hard story,” Costner revealed to Variety. “It involves women trying to get by in a world that was impossibly tough. They were often [dragged] out to these places because that’s where the men wanted to go; women were following their men.”
“They didn’t ask to be in these territories that were unsettled and dangerous, and life wasn’t easy. I’ve chosen to make sure that was really obvious, that that wasn’t easy, and how vulnerable people were.”
The story naturally draws parallels with the storyline of Paramount’s multi-award-winning neo-Western saga, Yellowstone, which sees Costner in the monarchal role of John Dutton, the wealthy owner of the largest ranch in America, the titular Yellowstone Ranch in Montana, navigating disputes with America’s indigenous population and original owners of the land.
Dutton is forced to play the role of politician, ranch owner and father, driven to do whatever it takes to retain his land and protect his family’s future.
But Costner walked away from the show that saw him become the highest-paid actor on episodic television, due to reported contract disputes and scheduling conflicts, as he switched his focus to his latest film. It was suggested that Costner wasn’t interested in splitting the filming for Yellowstone’s fifth and final season, as it would affect the production of his own feature.
“I couldn’t help them any more,” Costner claimed. “We tried to negotiate; they offered me less money than previous seasons; there were issues with the creative.”
Horizon boasts an all-star cast of Kevin Costner, Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Danny Huston and Thomas Haden Church, and is set to be released in 2024.