Part one of “Horizon: An American Saga,” the multi-film Western epic that Kevin Costner left “Yellowstone” to make, will hit theaters on June 28, with part two to follow on August 16. Warner Bros. released a trailer for the two-part film on Monday.
The trailer promises a sprawling, colorful, violent Western film about Manifest Destiny. It’s about the settling of the titular town during the years of the Civil War, as the American frontier pushes westward and settlers come into conflict with the people indigenous to the land. “There’s no army on this Earth that are going to stop those wagons coming,” a Union Army officer played by Costner’s “Yellowstone” co-star Danny Huston warns in something like the trailer’s thesis statement.
Costner wrote the script for “Horizon” with Jon Baird, produces with Howard Kaplan and Mark Gillard, directs, and stars. It’s his first time directing a film since 2003’s “Open Range,” and finds him revisiting the Civil War-era Western genre of “Dances with Wolves,” the 1990 film for which he won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. He intends for “Horizon” to be told in four parts. The first two films of the series have been shot, while the next two are in development.
In addition to Costner, the large ensemble cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Huston, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Georgia MacPhail, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Wasé Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Angus Macfadyen, Jon Beavers, Alex Nibley, Kathleen Quinlan, Etienne Kellici, Amos Jason Charging Cloud, Bodhi Okuma Linton, Gregory Cruz, James Russo, Jeff Fahey, David O’Hara, Chris Conner, Leroy M. Silva, Bernardo Velasco, Tom Everett, Glynn Turman, and Giovanni Ribisi.
The making of “Horizon” brought Costner into conflict with the producers of “Yellowstone,” the massively popular Paramount Network series in which he stars. He wanted to drastically reduce the time he spent working on “Yellowstone” to focus on “Horizon,” it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Paramount balked at his demands, leading to a protracted conflict with the studio over his contract. He is not expected to return for the final season of “Yellowstone.”
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