Here’s Puck’s Matt Belloni trying to make sense of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon,” which seems to have a sketchy background …
“Horizon”, which is almost certainly the risk of the year in the movie business. Not one but two $100 million-plus Westerns, financed by mysterious parties and Costner himself, and released somewhat reluctantly by Warner Bros. six weeks apart during the competitive summer corridor. And he won’t have “Yellowstone” to piggyback on. He’s officially out of the final episodes thanks to his silly feud with Taylor Sheridan, and they won’t air until the fall anyway.
Despite all that uncertainty, Costner has been soliciting anyone and everyone to put money into the planned third and fourth installments of what he’s dubbing an “American Saga.” Yes, he wants money for the three-quel to a movie that hasn’t even been released yet. My guess is those first two movies do okay but not great (especially internationally, where Costner has had trouble even signing up distributors), and barring the willingness of his unnamed investors in the first films to burn more of their money, the two additional Horizons probably never happen. Costner can then move on and pretend his “saga” was supposed to end with two films anyway.
I’ve been wondering how Warners, given the current climate in the industry, would greenlight such a risky R-rated project — Costner actually spent $20 million of his own money to fund the film. Belloni’s reporting insinuates that there are some mysterious backers on this film. My best guess is that it’s Saudi money?
In addition, Costner mortgaged 10 acres of a $50 million, oceanfront Santa Barbara property to ensure proper funding for the project. To call this project a risk would be an understatement. The last time Costner directed a film was for 2003’s “Open Range”.
In October, Warner Bros unveiled a teaser for “Horizon: An American Saga” and announced that they would be releasing two films in theaters in June 2024 and August 2024, respectively.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.