Is Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Franchise Facing Its Ultimate Demise?

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The second film in the expensive, problematic, and highly anticipated Western series produced by , titled , has been delayed for quite some time now. As reported by one of its actors, despite multiple screenings and proposed release dates, the prospects for “Horizon” appear grim and stuck in uncertain territory.

A few years back, Kevin Costner’s career path appeared clear-cut and promising. He was the main actor in the popular series Yellowstone, and he had a large-scale Western project brewing behind the scenes. However, his eagerness to launch the movie saga that would become Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 caused him to leave Taylor Sheridan’s hit show under controversial circumstances. The film was initially slated for release in 2024, with a sequel to follow shortly after. However, the first movie has yet to receive a wide release, and production on the remaining installments has come to a standstill.

In an interview with ScreenRant, the actress from Horizon shared that she has no information about the sequel’s progression and eagerly anticipates its eventual release. However, she is yet to receive a call from Costner clarifying when production might start. She expressed this by saying:

I share your sentiment. I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the second installment, much like you. Unfortunately, I can’t predict what Kevin has in store for us, but I have a feeling there’s something exciting on the horizon. I’m a huge fan of the second movie because it delves deeper into the women of that era and their experiences, compared to the first one which laid the groundwork for this world. Here’s hoping that people get to see the second film when it comes out, as it would pave the way for a potential third one. However, at the moment, I’m working on another project and can only hope to hear from Kevin soon. [Laughs] It would be fantastic!

The Trouble with ‘Horizon’

Forecasting which films will become blockbusters versus those that won’t is an elusive task, especially in the current landscape. Films such as “A Minecraft Movie, Barbie“, and “Oppenheimer” have astounded us with their successes over recent years, but big-budget productions like “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” and various Marvel movies have underperformed in comparison to initial expectations.

As a passionate admirer, I must admit that Kevin Costner’s initial “Horizon” film received a blend of positive and negative reactions from both viewers and critics alike. Despite this, its box office performance was relatively modest compared to the high expectations set by its massive $100 million budget, a significant portion of which was shouldered by Costner himself. With just $31 million earned worldwide, the film ended up being a substantial financial loss. Consequently, plans for “Chapter 2” were postponed, giving “Chapter 1” an opportunity to grow its audience through streaming platforms first.

The film had temporary success on multiple streaming platforms like Max and Netflix, yet this achievement hasn’t managed to reignite the project. After its second screening at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February, there’s still no release date scheduled for the movie. With Chapter 2‘s production seemingly on hold, and Chapter 3 being put on ice indefinitely, the fate of Horizon remains uncertain despite Costner’s unwavering determination to see it through until completion.

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2025-05-04 17:36