Family Affair: Kevin Costner’s Youngest Son Will Appear In Actor's Sprawling New Western

"I kind of did it on purpose, so he could be hanging out with me."

We don’t know about you, but we’re already counting the days until the premiere of the first part of Kevin Costner’s sweeping Western.

Horizon: An American Saga boasts a star-studded cast, but we’re particularly excited for the big screen debut of one young actor: Costner’s teenage son, Hayes.

The 14 year old will appear alongside his Oscar-winning father and other Hollywood heavy hitters including Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Will Patton, Luke Wilson, and more.

"He's very good," Costner told People in 2022. "Hayes plays the namesake character that I actually play in the movie.”

The Yellowstone star, who shares three children with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, joked that he cast his son in order to spend more time with him.

"I kind of did it on purpose, so he could be hanging out with me," Costner told People. "And the same thing for Cayden (16), same thing for Grace (13). I'm like any other parent, I'm trying to figure out, like, 'This is really neat. You should come be with me.'"

Costner, 69, also has four older children from previous relationships: Annie, 39; Lily, 37; Joe, 36; and Liam, 28.

Described as a “passion project,” Costner reportedly spent 30 years trying to get Horizon: An American Saga off the ground. In a June interview with Deadline, he revealed that he went as far as mortgaging one of his beachfront properties to help finance the project. Scheduling conflicts also contributed to his premature Yellowstone exit.

Costner isn’t afraid to admit that he has a lot on the line. But he’s been in this situation before, most notably with Dances with Wolves, which won seven Oscars.

“I’m not a gambler. People might look at this and say, 'Oh, this is a gamble.' And I go, 'Well, I guess it is, but do I want to go to Vegas and gamble?' No. I’m not that kind of gambler,” he explained to Deadline. “I gamble on the love of story. I’m gambling on people, in a sense. I can’t make them go to the theater, but if they get there, I’m going to try to take care of them the best I possibly can.”

According to the official logline, Horizon: An American Saga “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.”

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1, is set to premiere in theaters on June 28, 2024. Chapter 2 will follow quickly, hitting theaters August 16, 2024

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