Summary

• Costner's Western film series, Horizon: An American Saga, is a highly anticipated pet project.
• Horizon's trailer displays the epic scope of the two movies and reveals why Costner left Yellowstone to make them.
• Horizon covers the settlement of the West before and after the Civil War.

The full trailer for Costner hasn't made as many Westerns as old Clint, of course, but with movies like Dances with Wolves or Open Range, he's undeniably made his mark on the genre too. There's something about Costner's screen presence that lends itself well to Westerns, which can even be seen in Yellowstone.

Debuting in 2018, this modern Western series follows the Dutton family - led by Costner's patriarch John - as they battle to hold onto their sprawling Montana ranch. Yellowstone gave Costner a late-career boost and quickly became one of the most-watched shows in the U.S. There are multiple spinoffs too, but despite the success of the Taylor Sheridan-created show, it appears its leading man won't be returning. Instead, Costner is focusing on his pet project Horizon: An American Saga, a planned series of four Western movies.

Horizon's Trailer Shows Just How Epic Kevin Costner's Western Saga Will Be

To put things in context, Costner has been trying to make Horizon for 35 years. Now, Horizon: An American Saga's full trailer has arrived, showing off both the epic scale and impressive ensemble of the movie duology.

For anyone who may have doubted the star's decision to depart Yellowstone for the films, this preview should lay those doubts to rest. Horizon looks like a true, old-fashioned epic of the variety rarely made anymore.

From the beautiful vistas of Utah to the large cast of characters, the film is definitely the result of a filmmaker daydreaming about a project for over three decades. The circumstances behind his Yellowstone exit could have been smoother, but it says a lot he would leave a hit show and a large payday to focus on something he's wanted to produce since 1988. More than that, Costner has sunk his own money into Horizon's $100 million budget to make it happen.

Horizon Is A Major Risk For Kevin Costner, But One Worth Taking

The Horizon: An American Saga films will cover 15 years, and will focus on the settlement of the West, both before and after the Civil War. While there's clear excitement for the first two chapters, there's no sugarcoating the risk Costner is taking. Horizon is an expensive, multipart project that's also a Western, which isn't the hippest genre among younger audiences. There's every chance the first two entries could bomb, and Costner won't get to finish the story.

According to the New York Post, Costner has invested about $50 million of his own fortune into Horizon, meaning there's more riding on the films than critical success. Doom and gloom aside, it will be interesting to see how well the first two installments perform, and if the so-called "Dad Movie" crowd will turn up in droves. There's a good chance Horizon: An American Saga will not only succeed but could spark a Western revival like Dances with Wolves once did.

Source: New York Post