One major character change to Horizon: An American Saga could have prevented various problems co-writer/director Kevin Costner is now facing with future films in the series. Horizon: An American Saga was released in June 2024, and was meant to be the first entry in a four-movie series. However, reviews for Horizon Chapter 1 were not strong, and the film has a disappointing score of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, it did not perform well at the box office, only earning $38 million on a massive budget of $100 million. Therefore, the future of Costner’s Western epic is now uncertain.
The story of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 follows several characters as they travel to and settle in the American West during the Civil War. In addition to Costner, the cast of Horizon: An American Saga includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Michael Rooker, and many more. Horizon: An American Saga boasts an impressive cast who fit right into the Western story, but this could actually be the main problem for the Horizon series’ future.
Horizon Would Be A Much Shorter Story If It Just Focused On Kevin Costner’s Character
Perhaps Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 Had Too Many Characters
In Horizon Chapter 1, Costner plays Hayes Ellison, a loner cowboy who goes on the run with a prostitute, Marigold (Abbey Lee), and her son after killing another man. Just based on this brief description of Hayes’ arc, it’s clear that this could be its own standalone movie. Arguably, Costner’s Horizon project never should have featured an ensemble cast and focused on telling a more personal story between these three central characters.
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However, this never seemed to be an option for Costner, as he clearly wanted his Horizon movies to be very grand. The first Horizon film also features various other characters, which means a much bigger cast, and, of course, a much bigger budget. The final cut of Horizon Chapter 1 ended up being just over three hours long, and tells the story of several characters as they try to survive and thrive in the American West.
Kevin Costner’s Four-Movie Horizon Plan Looks Very Unlikely To Be Completed
The Already-Filmed Second Horizon Movie Still Doesn’t Have A Release Date
Even though the Horizon series is an epic Western that Costner has been trying to make for decades, audiences weren’t too eager to experience this story. Originally, the second Horizon movie, which Costner has already filmed, was supposed to be released in August 2024, just two months after the first film. However, following the failure of Horizon Chapter 1, New Line Cinema decided to remove Horizon Chapter 2 from its release schedule, and has still not announced a new release date.
Costner has already invested millions of his own money into the
Horizon: An American Saga
series, but since the first movie didn’t make a profit, it seems unlikely that he will be able to shoot the third and fourth installments.
Heading into 2025 with no release date for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 has made moviegoers unsure about the future of the franchise. Costner has already invested millions of his own money into the Horizon: An American Saga series (via Forbes), but since the first movie didn’t make a profit, it seems unlikely that he will be able to shoot the third and fourth installments. It would be a shame if Costner could not complete his dream project, but perhaps he should’ve focused on a smaller-scale, personal story, rather than an expensive epic featuring a massive cast of characters.
Source: Forbes