Oscar winner Kevin Costner returns to the director’s chair with Warner Bros Pictures’ Horizon: An American Saga four-part film series. The Western epic just debuted its first trailer and released the first batch of official photos from chapter one of Costner’s Civil War tale.
“In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, Horizon: An American Saga explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many,” reads Warner Bros Pictures’ synopsis. “Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.”
In addition to Costner, the cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Huston, and Colin Cunningham. Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Georgia MacPhail, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, and Isabelle Fuhrman also star.
The huge ensemble also includes Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Wasé Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Angus Macfadyen, Jon Beavers, Alex Nibley, Kathleen Quinlan, Etienne Kellici, and Amos Jason Charging Cloud. Plus, 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 are featured in Costner’s latest Western.
Costner co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Baird and serves as a producer along with Howard Kaplan and Mark Gillard. Danny Peykoff, Robert Scannell, Armyan Bernstein, Charlie Lyons, Barry Berg, and Rod Lake executive produce. Costner’s behind the scenes team includes director of photography J. Michael Muro, production designer Derek R. Hill, editor Miklos Wright, and costume designer Lisa Lovaas. Oscar nominee John Debney is in charge of the music.
“We have a lot of Westerns that aren’t good too because they get simplified [but] this isn’t Disneyland,” stated Costner, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter. “These are real lives. People just making their way, women just trying to keep their families clean and fed … I’m drawn to that. I’m always gonna get to my gunfight, but I’m drawn to the little things that people had to endure. So to me, Horizon was worth holding on to because I just felt like I wanted to tell it. It grew and it grew and it grew until suddenly I realized that I just had to make it, and I had to look to myself financially to do it — which is not the smartest thing. But I count on the movie speaking louder than anything I can say.”
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 will be released in theaters on June 28, 2024. Chapter 2 will follow on August 16, 2024, and chapters three and four have not yet begun production.
