According to actor Sam Worthington, Kevin Costner’s four-part Western epic Horizon: An American Saga might not see completion, Collider reports.
Released on June 28th, 2024, the first chapter of the series followed an array of characters navigating life in the Old West, who all have a connection to an idealized town called Horizon. A deeply personal project for Costner, the saga was decades in the making, with the actor/director making several notable sacrifices, including leaving the popular Paramount+ show Yellowstone and investing millions of his own money to get it into production.
At a run time of three hours, with plans to release Chapter 2 just weeks later in August, Chapter 1 underperformed at the box office, grossing $38 million worldwide on $50 million budget, and with critics, receiving a 51% Critical Score on Rotten Tomatoes. As a result, Chapter 2‘s release date was postponed indefinitely.
The quadrilogy did have a spark of hope, however, when Chapter 1 arrived on streaming, becoming a surprise hit on platforms like Netflix and HBO Max. But when Netflix showed interest in helping fund the remaining films, Costner was reluctant to abandon the plan to release them in theaters. Things did not improve when Chapter 2 premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September of 2024 and received a negative response from critics. As of this writing, it has yet to find a distributor or new release date.
Now, series star Sam Worthington predicts that Chapters 2 through 4 most likely won’t see release because of the lack of audience reception at the box office:
…It all comes down to whether the audience connects. The passion is always there, but sometimes it’s just about whether it’s the right time for people to embrace it.
In addition to the funding and distribution hurdles, the project has also run into several lawsuits: One from stunt performer Devyn LaBella, who alleges she was forced to perform in an unscripted rape scene during the filming of Chapter 2, a second involving an alleged breach of co-financing deal with New Line Cinema and City National Bank, and a third for alleged unpaid costume fees, which has since been settled.
Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1, is currently streaming on HBO Max and Hulu, having left Netflix in July.
Leave a Comment