'Horizon': Everything we know so far about Kevin Costner's post-'Yellowstone' Western epic

For a while, all we heard about was Kevin Costner's Paramount drama Yellowstone. His role as John Dutton certainly gave him a career boost, decades after starring in blockbuster films such as Field of Dreams, The Bodyguard and Dances With Wolves.

But on Oct. 5, Warner Bros. Pictures dropped a teaser trailer that showed he has definitely moved on.

Here is everything we know about his next project, Horizon: An American Saga.

Wait, where do things stand with Costner and Yellowstone?

Paramount announced in June that its hit show would end after the upcoming second half of the fifth season airs. It's scheduled to begin in November, but that could change due to the actors' strike. It's unclear if Costner will appear in those episodes anyway.

While it was reported that the JFK actor, who's long been engaged in a public feud with the show's creator/writer, only made himself available for one week to film those episodes, his lawyer told Puck that was untrue and that Costner was awaiting a script. According to Vulture, the show's abrupt sign-off also follows Costner's calls for a pay increase, script approval and a decrease in shooting time.

The star said during his high-profile divorce proceedings that he would "probably go to court" over what happened with the sprawling family drama.

But once the original Yellowstone finally is all wrapped up, it will be replaced with a sequel series starring Matthew McConaughey and unknown members of the current cast, although definitely not Costner.

What is Horizon?

Even while he was still on the family drama, Costner was already focused on Horizon: An American Saga, which he's wanted to make for decades. In May, he revealed in an interview for Deadline that he'd made a significant personal investment to finance the project.

“I’ve mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house," he told the news outlet. "But I did it without a thought. It has thrown my accountant into a f***ing conniption fit. But it's my life, and I believe in the idea and the story."

Ah, the story. The official description of Horizon says it "explores 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 teaser trailer shows Costner riding a horse and firing a gun. It lists many cast members in addition to Costner himself: Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt and Jamie Campbell Bower.

When will Horizon be out?

Although the project has been described as ultimately having four parts, just two are being publicized. Part 1 will arrive in theaters June 28, 2024, while the second part is scheduled to land Aug. 16, 2024. The newly divorced Costner will shoot the last of the films somewhere in Utah next year, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. executives believe that rolling out the film in four parts, the first two one right after another, will make it feel more like an event and excite audiences the way that Barbenheimer did this summer.

How long has it been since Costner directed a movie?

Before the multiple parts of Horizon, he directed three movies: Open Range (2003), The Postman (1997) and Dances With Wolves (1990), and all were Westerns. While The Postman did not fare well with audiences or critics, the others did. Dances With Wolves notably won Costner the 1991 Academy Awards for both Best Director and Best Picture.

This story was originally published Oct. 5, 2023; it was updated on Oct. 10, 2023 with additional information on the release.