Horizon - Cast, Plot, Trailer, Development Details And More Info

Kevin Costner is a very busy cowboy these days. Fresh off an incredible five-season run as executive producer and star of "Yellowstone' — where he played the powerful ranch owner John Dutton — the actor has returned to the Wild West with an ambitious multi-film project titled "Horizon: An American Saga." This cinematic epic will cover 15 years of history surrounding the Civil War, and Costner is the perfect fit for this story of blood, dust, and tears.

After all, Costner is no stranger to big-screen horseback-riding, as he's starred in beloved Westerns such as "Dances With Wolves," "Open Range," and "Silverado." Adding to all that, "Horizon" is a passion project for the Hollywood veteran, and he's wearing multiple hats for this one — serving as star, director, producer, and co-writer. But what else do we know about this sprawling cinematic series? Well, saddle up as we dive into everything there is to know about "Horizon: An American Saga."

In May 2023, Kevin Costner told Deadline about "Horizon's" long road to the screen, with the project having been on his mind in some form or another since the late 1980s. As various negotiations fell apart through the years, his initial concept bloomed from one screenplay to four, and the auteur finally decided in the midst of his "Yellowstone" success to bankroll the project himself by taking out a mortgage on his own 10-acre property.

In other words, this is the most passionate of passion projects for Costner, and he was no doubt hoping "Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1" would make off like an old-timey bandit. Unfortunately, the Western only grossed $11 million on its opening weekend and currently has only made $30 million worldwide. The budget for the first film is reportedly $50 million ... so yeah, not great. Critics also weren't kind to the first "Horizon," many of whom were frustrated by the film's pacing, overabundance of characters and storylines, and TV-like structure.

As a result, Warner Bros. decided to press pause on Costner's westward expansion. "Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2" was meant to hit theaters on August 16, but after the failure of the first film, studio execs have removed the sequel from the release schedule. They're hoping "Chapter 1" does well on streaming and VOD and builds an audience willing to watch the second movie. However, at this time, there's no word on when the next "Horizon" will mosey into theaters, and Deadline has reported that Warner Bros. might consider a day-and-date release. As for the other two installments, well, only time will tell if and when we see them.

In addition to Kevin Costner himself, the "Horizon" movies have lined up a stunning array of talent. Sienna Miller ("The Lost City of Z"), Sam Worthington (the "Avatar" franchise), and Jamie Campbell Bower ("Stranger Things") were first to join the ensemble. They were soon joined by Luke Wilson ("Legally Blonde"), Jena Malone ("The Hunger Games"), Abbey Lee ("Mad Max: Fury Road"), Isabelle Fuhrman ("Orphan"), and Michael Rooker ("Guardians of the Galaxy").

Oh, you thought we were done listing awesome actors? Far from it. Among others, the first "Horizon" also featured Danny Huston ("Yellowstone"), Will Patton ("Remember the Titans"), Tatanka Means ("Killers of the Flower Moon"), Dale Dickey ("Breaking Bad"), Michael Angarano ("Oppenheimer"), Alejandro Edda ("Narcos: Mexico"), Jeff Fahey ("Lost"), and newcomer Georgia MacPhail. Giovanni Ribisi of "Friends" briefly showed up in the film's set-up for the sequel, so we're assuming he'll play a bigger part in "Chapter 2." You can also expect to see Thomas Haden Church ("Spider-Man: No Way Home") and Kathleen Quinlan ("Apollo 13") in future installments ... whenever those come. 

"Horizon" takes place across a 15-year span before, during, and after the Civil War, also covering the settlement of the western portion of the United States. An official synopsis reads: 

"Experienced through the eyes of many, the epic journey is fraught with peril and intrigue from the constant onslaught of natural elements to the interactions with the Indigenous peoples who lived on the land and the determination and at many times ruthlessness of those who sought to settle it."

The first film followed multiple storylines, all of which are ongoing and will no doubt lead into "Chapter 2." We're expecting the romance between Sienna Miller's widowed homesteader and Sam Worthington's gruff cavalry officer to bloom in the sequel. Kevin Costner's man of few words will no doubt throw down against the remaining members of the Sykes family after killing Jamie Campbell Bower's psycho gunman. The wagon train led by Luke Wilson will most likely encounter some sort of setbacks, whether it be from the Native American scouts watching them amble across the prairie or the two creeps who have their eyes on Ella Hunt's English expatriate. The movie also ends with a group of scalphunters slaughtering a defenseless tribe, so the bloodshed between the settlers and the Indigenous people will continue to escalate. 

We're really only scratching the surface of things here, as there a ton of characters in "Chapter 1," so the possibilities of the three future installments are vast and endless, just like the American prairie.

Much like the leader of a wagon train, Kevin Costner has been calling the shots on "Horizon," serving as the project's director. Of course, this isn't the first time Costner has worked behind the camera. He directed the Western-adjacent "The Postman," and he also helmed two landmarks of the Western genre: "Dances With Wolves" and "Open Range." In fact, the filmmaker actually earned an Oscar for best director thanks to his work on "Wolves," beating out the likes of Francis Ford Coppola for "The Godfather Part III" and Martin Scorsese for "Goodfellas."

"Horizon" marks Costner's big return to directing after two decades, and he's also co-written the scripts along with Jon Baird. An author of books like "Songs from Nowhere Near the Heart," Baird is new to the screenwriting game, with chapter one of "Horizon" serving as his first feature. However, he's collaborated with Costner in the past, as the two wrote the illustrated adventure novel "The Explorers Guild."

The official trailer for the first two films in Kevin Costner's "Horizon" saga dropped in February 2024. Running over 3 minutes long, the trailer promises the sweeping vistas and epic scope of beloved Westerns such as "Lonesome Dove." It also highlights the clash between white settlers moving westward and the Indigenous people who were already there. 

The trailer also focuses on the women who found themselves living a hard existence out on the prairie, with one key moment focusing on a mother and daughter trying to survive a nighttime raid. We get glimpses of worried Native Americans watching the settlers colonize their land, and we see a rugged Kevin Costner facing off with Jamie Campbell Bower murderous mountain man.

The first official trailer for "Horizon" is big on vibes and visuals, and we're incredibly intrigued to see Costner's vision continue to play out.