The film Horizon: An American Saga is an epic Western, Costner's first Civil War-era movie since Dances with Wolves in 1990.
Horizon: An American Saga is the latest Western from Kevin Costner, who directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the film. Two Walking Dead cast alums, Michael Rooker (Merle) and Tom Payne (Jesus), also star in the epic story.
The Horizon film series will feature four films, with Chapter 1 released in theaters on June 28, 2024. Chapter 2 will be released in 2025, followed by Chapter 3, which was filmed in 2024. The fourth chapter is currently in production. Costner teamed up with Jon Baird to write the script for a story that Costner, Baird, and Mark Kasdan created.
The films mark Costner's return to the directors chair for the first time since Open Range (2003). Horizon is his first Civil War era project since his directorial debut Dances with Wolves (1990) which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Chapter 1 spans from 1861 to 1865 during the American Civil War and is told from the point of view of the settlers and indigenous people living on the land being settled. The first chapter establishes the main characters and shows the harsh world in the western part of the US. There is a lot of world-building in this installment, setting up more stories to come in the following chapters.
Costner is joined by an ensemble cast including Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Michael Rooker, and Giovanni Ribisi. Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt, Tom Payne and Jamie Campbell Bower all appear in supporting roles.
The movie was filmed in Utah, which is an extraordinary backdrop for the movie, as seen in the trailer below.
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
Michael Rooker as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan in Horizon
Michael Rooker portrays Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan, a man stationed at Camp Gallant. This is a different role for Rooker, who generally plays more villainous characters.
After the film's less-than-favorable box office run, Rooker talked to Variety about people who complained about the movie's 3h 1m run time
"It’s real cinema, folks. Be prepared. We ain’t used to that sh!t. We’re used to 90 minute movies. Everything is 90 minutes. Give me a break. Get over that sh!t. Let’s watch a movie that actually tells a story where you learn about the people and grow to like them or hate them. It’s not all fast and cut, cut cut.”"Michael Rooker
Tom Payne as Hugh Proctor in Horizon
Tom Payne plays British artist Hugh Proctor, who along with his wife Ella (Juliette Chesney) desire to settle in Horizon. They are unprepared for the harsh conditions on the wagon trail.
Below is a video Payne posted on Instagram ahead of the film's premiere (since the recording the release date of part 2 of the film series has been pushed to 2025).
