A recent report has provided a serious spotlight on the astounding arrogance of Kevin Costner.
While the biggest news from The Hollywood Reporter was the story of a physical altercation on the set of Yellowstone, it also thoroughly illustrates the actor and filmmaker’s absolute conviction that anything he comes up with is brilliant, making the film he admits is a mess an interesting footnote.
After breaking out in Hollywood with The Untouchables and Bull Durham, Costner achieved the impossible with 1990’s Dances with Wolves, which won the Oscar trifecta of ‘Best Picture,’ ‘Best Director,’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay,’ plus four more Academy Awards It was Costner’s directorial debut (he also produced and starred in the film), and his lack of experience plus him investing some of his own money when he couldn’t get a major studio to back it all indicated that Dances with Wolves was headed for disaster.
But the seemingly delusional dream of making a prestige Western epic came to fruition, and Dances With Wolves was a massive box office and critical hit. So, of course, after this, Costner more or less could get a blank check to make whatever he wanted. But after starring (not directing) in the hits of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Bodyguard, Costner’s producing endeavours would become the stuff of Hollywood legend, in a bad way. Waterworld (directed by Kevin Reynolds), once the most expensive film ever made, was a colossal failure, followed by the similar flop The Postman (directed by Costner).
After years of standard ups and downs for an actor, this kind of thinking also led to Costner’s now-infamous Horizon – An American Saga project. One of the more interesting films to come out in the intervening time was Mr Brooks, again produced by and starring Costner, and directed by Bruce A Evans (Stand By Me, Kuffs). The serial killer-centric psychological thriller also stars Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt.
The film follows Earl Brooks, a Portland businessman living a double life with a serial killer alter ego. Mr Brooks also was no box office hit, and received mixed reviews. A while after the underwhelming release, Costner told The Oklahoman that he believed it had potential, but that the story was mishandled, mostly by other people.
“That movie was mangled — handled so terribly,” said Costner. “And that was a sequel and a trequel. I know how that movie ends in a really cool way. His life goes on because it’s going on. You know, it’s not a big piece of commerce, but it’s still, to me, a trilogy.” A sequel to Mr Brooks was discussed, as the film became more popular after its theatrical run, but Costner refused to work with the same creative team again.
“It has the potential, but I have to jerk it away from the same people that mangled it,” continues the Yellowstone star. “Because now they’re actually getting wind of it. They’re going, ‘Wow, we could do a second one,’ and I go, ‘That’s how I presented it to you, a**hole, but you basically threw it away.’ You couldn’t even find ads for it after the second week in the newspaper. I thought it was a great American movie.”
Presently, Costner remains committed to releasing the rest of Horizon – An American Saga, though the rest of the industry remains doubtful. Mr Brooks, ironically, had a much better fate than some of Costner’s other projects.
