Kevin Costner's upcoming film, Horizon: An American Saga, will not directly address the Civil War, setting it apart from his previous work, Dances with Wolves. The epic Western, set for release in 2024, has been a passion project for Costner for decades and is expected to offer a fresh perspective on the era surrounding the Civil War. Despite avoiding direct focus on the war, Horizon will still acknowledge its impact on the American frontier. Costner's dedication to the project, including personal financial investment and departure from Yellowstone, highlights the risks and originality of this new venture in his career.
Summary
Kevin Costner's next film, Horizon: An American Saga, will stand out by avoiding a direct connection to the Civil War. Costner's announcement at CinemaCon 2024 revealed the differences of his summer blockbuster from Dances with Wolves. With Horizon set to explore the era around the Civil War without focusing on it, suggesting a unique epic.
Kevin Costner has revealed that his next film, Horizon: An American Saga, will have no connection to the Civil War, differentiating it from his previous western masterpiece. Costner's western epic is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 28, 2024, with a sequel almost immediately following on August 16. Horizon has been Costner's passion project for decades, with the concept forming early in his career. Finally, more than thirty years later, two films are in the works, although he plans to expand them with additional Horizon films if they are successful.
The upcoming summer blockbuster is directed by and stars Costner and details were shared about the film at CinemaCon 2024. Kevin Costner has invested his own money in the project and has shown an obvious dedication to them, even controversially leaving his role in Yellowstone before last season to focus on the movies. The trailers for the film have shown glimpses of a vast western epic, a cast of characters, action-packed adventures and much more, although Costner's recent comments have finally offered clarity on some of the plot details.
Kevin Costner separating his Horizon films from Civil War helps avoid comparisons of dancing with wolves
Horizon's distinctions from Dances with Wolves give Kevin Costner's western an appeal of originality
Kevin Costner's directorial debut, Western Dances with Wolves, winner of Best Picture, revolves around the Civil War scenario. On the other hand, Horizon will take place during the same era, but will mainly avoid the Civil War. At CinemaCon, it was explained that the scenario was "Starting before the Civil War and continuing during it, but does not directly deal with the Civil War". This is excellent news, implying that his new western will offer a new perspective. Dances with Wolves is one of Costner's greatest achievements, but a large part of Horizon's appeal will be the fact that it's a new story.
Horizon is an incredibly risky move for Costner, sacrificing a role in Yellowstone that offered him unprecedented stardom for an actor of his age. Not to mention his extensive personal financial investment, which places a lot of trust in the movie-going public. However, 2024 may be the best year in a long time for such a risk, as the success of Barbie and Oppenheimer has shown the public's desire for an original and well-constructed narrative. With that in mind, Horizon having as much narrative distinction as possible is promising.
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How the Civil War still plays a role in Horizon's western saga
Even if Horizon isn't a Civil War movie, the impact will be felt
It's almost impossible to make a film set in America during the Civil War without recognizing its impact. Horizon will be set in the Frontiersman West, focusing more on westward expansion than the war mainly in the East, but the first trailer for the film showed glimpses of men in uniform. The epic probably won't portray any battles like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but the impact of bloody war will certainly be felt in Horizon: An American Saga.
Horizon: an American saga
Horizon: An American Saga is a western film directed by Kevin Costner and featuring him in the lead role. The movie explores several generations around the expansion of the American West before and after the Civil War. Horizon is the first in a series of four films, all of which have been given the green light by Warner Bros.
DirectorKevin Costner
Release date June 28, 2024
Studio(s) New Line Cinema, Territory Pictures
Cast Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Thomas Haden Church, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Jamie Campbell Bower