Kevin Costner premiered the first of his four ‘Horizon’ movies tonight in Cannes. Despite a 7-minute standing ovation, not all critics are being kind to his 3-hour western. It was to be expected. Westerns aren’t necessarily “hip” these days.
Pans are coming in from THR, Screen Daily, The Guardian, and The Playlist. Whereas, positive reviews are coming via The Wrap, The Telegraph, and Total Film.
Apparently, Costner — the lead of the film — doesn’t appear until the 60-minute mark. I’ll be catching ‘Horizon’ tomorrow morning at 8:30. That’s when most of the press here gets to see it. It was screened early on Sunday for the trades.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” was supposed to be a mini-series, but Costner decided it was a good idea to make four of these films. New Line/Warner Bros are set to distribute it. At today’s junket for the film, Costner mentioned how he’s already shot 9 days’ worth of footage on the third part, but that he’s run out of money and might continue filming soon.
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. It’s supposed to continue shooting throughout the summer.
Costner actually spent $24 million of his own money to fund the first two films, both of which are coming out this summer. In February, Warner Bros unveiled a trailer for the film. After nearly 30 years of development, Costner seems to be betting it all in pursuing his passion project. We wish him the best.