Horizon: An American Saga was positioned to be Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone replacement, and the franchise’s dire outlook means one ironic change could help save it. After having a major Western renaissance with Yellowstone, Costner was finally able to make his biggest passion project a reality. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 were set for release only seven weeks apart, with Warner Bros. partnering with the actor/director to give the film’s wide theatrical releases. Initially, there was optimism that Costner’s Western movies could be massive hits on the backs of his renewed popularity.
The future of Horizon: An American Saga as a franchise is very much up in the air, though. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’s box office bombed after receiving a heavy dose of negative reviews. This has left Costner and Warner Bros. in an uncertain spot when it comes to the fate of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, and that doesn’t even include hopes to make two more movies after that. If there is any chance that the full scope of this franchise is going to happen, Kevin Costner needs to seriously consider making a significant change.
Horizon: An American Saga’s Future As A Movie Franchise Is Nearly Dead
The Sequels Are Already In Doubt
Horizon: An American Saga’s future as a major movie franchise was immediately called into question after the film’s disastrous opening. It only made $11 million over its opening weekend, and it has not found its audiences after either. The film’s box office total currently sits at only $34 million worldwide. That made the prospects of releasing a sequel weeks later ludicrous, which is why Warner Bros. officially delayed Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2. The film still does not have a new release date, creating doubt about when it will be released.
No matter what happens with Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2’s release, the indefinite delay and poor box office returns from Chapter 1 do not bode well for its chances of success. There is not a lot of hope that audiences will suddenly flock to theaters to see the sequel, much less if they would for the potential third and fourth parts. That means all parties involved must figure out an alternative solution if Horizon is going to live on in any capacity. That even means forgoing plans for it to be a movie franchise.
Kevin Costner Could Save Horizon’s Sequels By Making The Franchise A TV Show
The Plan Needs To Change
If Kevin Costner does want his Horizon franchise to continue and make the other sequels, I think the best option would be changing courses to make this Western epic a TV series. His revival in recent years came from a Western TV show, so it is possible that the same people who helped turn Yellowstone into one of the biggest shows on television would flock to watch a Horizon TV series. These same people may have elected to skip a theatrical viewing of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 in favor of waiting until it came to digital or streaming.
Switching Horizon: An American Saga from being a movie franchise to a TV show could also hold many benefits. It would eliminate any discussions about the film’s budget versus its box office. Streaming data is often less public, so if Max or Paramount+ agreed to release Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 as a TV show and finance future seasons, the perception of its success or failure could shift. Furthermore, Costner could have more time to explore the many interesting Horizon: An American Saga storylines to properly flesh out characters and motivations.
Horizon Becoming A TV Show Would Be Ironic After Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Exit
He’d Return To TV After Leaving It
The idea of Horizon being saved by becoming a TV show would certainly be ironic, though. The push to make the first movies played a part in Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone exit. He ultimately decided to leave a hit Western TV series to pursue making an epic Western movie franchise. The hope was that Horizon would be big enough to replace the TV series properly, but that plan is currently failing.
If Costner was successful in retrofitting his ideas for Horizon into a TV show format, he would wind up back exactly where he started. He wouldn’t have Yellowstone anymore, but Horizon could be a new hit TV series for him. This one would give him much greater creative control compared to Taylor Sheridan’s universe. In that scenario, Kevin Costner might have just been better off sticking around for more of Yellowstone instead of trying to make Horizon: An American Saga replace the hit series for him. Saving the franchise with a TV pivot would then be ironic.
