Kevin Costner Shows Glimpses of Western Epic“ Horizon: An American Saga” at CinemaCon

The Oscar-winning director-star will release ‘Horizon’ in two parts: ‘Chapter 1’ on June 28 and ‘Chapter 2’ on Aug. 16

Kevin Costner is unveiling a more extensive look at his upcoming two-part project, Horizon: An American Saga. 

The 69-year-old star, co-writer and director of the westerns, set during the American Civil War, appeared for distributor Warner Bros.’ presentation of upcoming titles at CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas on April 9. Chapter 1 will be released in theaters on June 28, with sequel Chapter 2 following soon after on Aug. 16.

“I think about the promise of America,” said Costner on stage. “There was a promise out here that if you could go, if you were tough enough, if you were mean enough, if you were resourceful enough, if you were lucky enough, you could take what you wanted in America.”

In reference to Native Americans, he added, “That promise meant that we stepped on a whole group of people that had been here for thousands of years.” Horizon includes that struggle as well, he said. “If you could come west, if you could survive it, you could make a home and at the expense of a lot of things. So to me, that's drama.”

Related: Kevin Costner Reminisces on His 1985 'Career-Making Movie' Silverado as He Teases His Next Western Horizon

Costner also explained that his son Hayes, now 15, whom he shares with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, appears in Horizon. The character Costner plays in the movies is named Hayes Ellison, which he said was a move “to get this movie done” after first conceiving of it as far back as 1998.

“Hayes Ellison is a drifter who wants to find a home,” he said. “And I named my son Hayes and when he was about 12, I said, this has to happen. And so I decided that nothing was going to stop me.”

Before the studio’s CinemaCon presentation, not much was known about the long-awaited project outside of a teaser released in October and full-length trailer in February.

Among Costner’s costars in Horizon are Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone, Danny Huston, Abbey Lee and Luke Wilson.

The “ambitious cinematic adventure,” per a synopsis, “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.”

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"Horizon is incredibly meaningful to me. It's really been the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's exactly what I want to do," Costner told PEOPLE in 2022.

"A lot of times we measure ourselves against other generations," the Yellowstone star added when asked about why he’s drawn to the western genre. "I think about what was at stake. How did people survive? There's a rawness and an unpredictability about it. I'm haunted by that."

Related: Luke Wilson Says Making New 'Epic Western' with Kevin Costner 'Inspired' Him: I 'Learned So Much' (Exclusive)

One of Costner's most well-known western films, 1990’s Dances With Wolves, earned him two Oscars, for directing and, for his role as producer, Best Picture.

Also presented at the CinemaCon event at Caesar’s Palace were other upcoming titles from Warner Bros.: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Joker: Folie à Deux.

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 is in theaters June 28, followed by Chapter 2 on Aug. 16.

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