This Kevin Costner interview with Deadline is quite something. It’s no-holds-barred. He really doesn’t give a f*ck. All he wants to do is make movies.
Much of the headlines will zero in on his assertion that the reason why he left “Yellowstone” was due to creator Taylor Sheridan being late in sending out the scripts, but let’s focus on ‘Horizon,’ which is set to premiere at Cannes.
Costner helped fund not one but two of these $100 million-plus Westerns, financed by mysterious parties and Costner himself. Warner Bros. is set to premiere Part 1 at Cannes next month and then release the second one, six weeks later, in August.
Last month, I exclusively reported that Costner was going to be shooting parts 3 & 4 this summer, and that it was all set up to happen in Southern Utah. A whopping six months of shooting is planned, between June and December.
Costner is now telling Deadline that he actually doesn’t have the money to film the last two parts of his Western saga, but that he couldn’t care less about it and will go on with the production.
I wanted to start April 25th, but I’ve got to find the money. I wanted to start May 6th, but I needed to find the money. I’ve moved myself to May 13th, and I’m going to start my movie. I don’t give a sh*t now. I’m just going to start it.
It sounds like Costner, who admits that he was deeply affected by the sudden passing of a close friend, is in the YOLO phase of his career. Godspeed.
Puck’s Matt Belloni had previously reported that Costner was “soliciting anyone and everyone” to put money into the planned third and fourth installments of what he’s dubbing an “American Saga.” These are all unnamed investors. We had some doubts that Parts 3 & 4 of the ‘Saga’ would get made, but my source, deeply ingrained in prep work for the shoot, had told me it was definitely happening.
Costner actually spent $24 million of his own money to fund the first two films, both of which are rated R. My best guess is that some of it was Saudi money. In addition, Costner mortgaged 10 acres of his $50 million, oceanfront Santa Barbara property to ensure proper funding for the project. To call these films a risk would be an understatement. Costner knows it, but he says it doesn’t bother him:
You realize, I can do this. My kids might not get the 10 acres [the waterfront Santa Barbara property Costner put at risk]. But they’re going to have homes, and they’re going to have my legacy and the wealth that follows, from my estate. They can make up their own lives. But I’m not going to let anything hold me back.
The last time Costner directed a film was 2003’s “Open Range”. We have no idea if the first two ‘Horizon’ movies will even be successful at the box-office, let alone with critics. Again, Costner is not hearing it, he wants to get this saga done, even if it means it’ll make him go bankrupt.
In February, Warner Bros unveiled a trailer for “Horizon: An American Saga.” After nearly 30 years of development, Costner seems to be betting it all in pursuing his passion project. Good for him, and I do hope they turn out to be worthy films.