New things on the ‘Horizon’ for Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner was unsure where he’d be when “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” hit theaters Friday.
The former “Yellowstone” star, 69, imagined he’d be at his Santa Barbara, California, home, definitely not popping into nearby movie theaters to see how the first of his planned four-part Western movie series and passion project is playing before crowds.
The project has coincided with considerable drama offscreen over the past year – a messy divorce from second wife Christine Baumgartner and an agonizingly drawn-out split from the “Yellowstone” franchise.
Speaking from his movie studio where he’s editing his second epic, “Chapter 2” (due Aug. 16), Costner’s stubbornly blond hair is disheveled and his quarter-zip sweater is unapologetically rumpled. Yet he’s attentive and focused discussing the sprawling movie project he co-wrote, directed, produced, stars in and mortgaged his home to finance.
“Horizon: Chapter 1,” which has taken shots by early critics, is finally going to the ultimate judge – the movie public.
“You shove something out into the water, and now it’s not yours anymore. But you honestly know you did everything you possibly could. I know (“Horizon”) will be watched,” says Costner. “To what degree, that’s what we’ll see, right?”
That is the $100 million question, the reported budget for the R-rated, 181minute first chapter. Costner does not even appear until 66 minutes into the movie as Hayes Ellison, a mysterious gunslinger who crosses paths with a local courtesan, Marigold (Abbey Lee).
The duo’s travails are just two of the myriad stories, with 170 speaking parts, in the often brutal tale of post-civil War westward expansion.
“In the second feature, things get harder for them. And the third film, things don’t change,” says Costner. “The West was hard.”