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Kevin Costner has revealed the first trailer for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. The first of four films comes out in theaters on June 28, with Chapter 2 following quickly behind it on August 16. The third and fourth movies have not yet been filmed.
Horizon continues the long tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Westerns. The films explore the lure of the Old West and how it was won — and lost — through the blood, sweat, and tears of many. 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.
The Horizon trailer features sweeping shots of beautiful Western landscapes (the films were shot in Utah), vibrant colors, and a classic feel. Costner told journalists during a moderated discussion promoting the film that “things that have a classic feel don’t fall out of [style].”
“I think they exist in any decade, and that’s the opportunity we have in cinema is to make something that lasts,” he said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t have a tendency to follow trends or [look at] what’s really working.”
Costner co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Baird. The Oscar winner also directs the films in addition to starring, marking his first directorial outing since 2003’s Open Range. He won the Oscar for Best Director for 1990’s Dances With Wolves, which also won Best Picture. Costner shared how creating Horizon compared to Dances With Wolves during the press conference, noting that Horizon (which he spent six years writing with Baird) was harder to make.
“This is by far the biggest struggle. I shot Dances in 106 days. I shot the movie you’re just seeing right now in 52. I learned a lot and I was able to use every trick in the book to bring this movie to an audience — and there’s four of them,” he said.
Costner’s character, whose name has not been revealed (nor have other character names), seems to have a violent past he’s trying to escape in the trailer. He seems to find love and sets out to settle new land for his family, but it’s a dangerous venture.
Horizon‘s cast is star-studded and includes Costner’s former Yellowstone co-star, Danny Huston, who’s seen in the trailer above along with Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt, and Jamie Campbell Bower.
Costner’s commitment to the ambitious project that is Horizon is believed to have taken him away from Yellowstone. The series will return for its final episodes when Season 5 Part B premieres this November on Paramount Network, and it remains unclear whether Costner will be in the episodes at all. While Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan has claimed that Costner was being unaccommodating with his schedule for Season 5 because of Horizon, Costner maintains that it was Yellowstone script delays that caused the problems.
Yellowstone Season 5 Part B will be the series’ last stand. A spinoff with a working title of 2024 is in development, with Matthew McConaughey said to be attached to star.
Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1, In Theaters Friday, June 28