Kevin Costner’s New Western’s Biggest Challenge Is Matching His 34-Year Smash Hit
In June 2024, Kevin Costner is releasing his next big project, Horizon: An American Saga, and though the film has all the makings of a hit, what will truly stand in the way of its success is Costner’s 34-year-old Western classic. Over the course of his career, Kevin Costner has made a name for himself as an action and Western star. Though his more recent claim to fame revolved around his Western family drama, Yellowstone, in the last year Costner has dedicated himself to a new Western project that is supposedly going to be one of his best.
Horizon: An American Saga is a Western movie written, produced, directed, and starring Kevin Costner. The cast also includes stars like Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Jena Malone, Giovanni Ribisi, Jamie Campbell Bower, and more. Horizon: An American Saga is going to be a two-part event, with the first part being released June 28, 2024 and the second part on August 16, 2024. Notably, Costner has been working on this Civil War-era film since the 1980s, making this his ultimate passion project. However, that doesn’t make this movie a guaranteed hit for Costner.
Dances With Wolves Is Still The Biggest Movie Of Kevin Costner’s Career
Although Horizon: An American Saga is Kevin Costner’s passion project, and hopes are high that it lives up to expectations, it is hard to ignore the fact that Costner already made the ideal Western film over 30 years ago. In 1990, Costner directed and starred in the iconic movie, Dances with Wolves. The film follows Costner as Lieutenant Dunbar, a Union soldier who forms a bond with the Sioux tribe residing near his military outpost.
Dances with Wolves raked in over $400 million at the box office and went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Despite the fact that Kevin Costner’s movies have often been successful, Dances with Wolves stands out because it all rested on Costner’s shoulders. Not only did he led the movie as its director, but he was also the face of it. If he had wavered in any capacity while making Dances with Wolves, it may not have been the masterpiece it ended up being. In this way, Dances with Wolves is likely Costner’s biggest success, and that makes it huge competition for Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga, which will have to live up to these incredible expectations.
Kevin Costner Is Betting On Himself To Make Horizon: An American Saga Another Hit Western
Dances with Wolves may have been outstanding, but Kevin Costner does not seem perturbed by the expectations he has put on himself. Seemingly, Costner is completely dedicated to this new project, and he seems to have total faith that Horizon: An American Saga will be a hit. This is clear based on just how much work the actor and director has put into the project. He is steering the film almost entirely on his own, taking on all the biggest roles. Beyond just hard work, he has also poured quite a bit of money into Horizon as well.
The biggest sign of Costner’s dedication to Horizon is the fact that he left Yellowstone to make it. While Costner’s Yellowstone exit was a complicated matter having to do with his relationship with showrunner Taylor Sheridan and how much money he was making, it is still true that Costner left Yellowstone and focused his efforts on Horizon instead. Clearly, he saw potential in Horizon that he no longer saw in the final season of Yellowstone. And while it may seem harsh to leave your long-running show for a new project, it proves just how passionate Costner is about it.
Can Horizon Actually Match (Or Beat) Dances With Wolves’ Success?
While Dances with Wolves garnered its fame in one shot, gaining all its earnings and accolades in a single year, Horizon likely won’t see the same success.
It’s difficult to tell whether Horizon can match Dances with Wolves. At first glance, the answer seems to be no, or at least not in the same way. While Dances with Wolves garnered its fame in one shot, gaining all its earnings and accolades in a single year, Horizon likely won’t see the same success. Namely, because Costner has four Horizon movies planned. Horizon could hit the $400 million mark at the box office, but it will likely be the sum of more than one movie’s earnings. Plus, Horizon’s $100 million budget is different from Dances with Wolves’ $22 million.
However, in the end, there is no telling how Horizon: An American Saga will do. Based on its strong cast, it could end up being a film that is just as moving and important as Dances with Wolves. At this point, without a strong sense of the films’ stories, it is difficult to tell. But, if Horizon: An American Saga does succeed like Dances with Wolves, that will be a worthwhile investment for Kevin Costner.
