Kevin Costner introduces Horizon: An American Saga in first trailer

Summer event cinema is here to stay. The first trailer for Horizon: An American Saga, Kevin Costner’s long-awaited Western epic, is here. Horizon, which Costner co-wrote, directed, and starred in, premieres its first chapter on June 28 and the second chapter on August 16. It’s like Barbenheimer for Yellowstone fans: sure, it’s two months apart, but it also has a who’s-who of Hollywood ensemble cast, including Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Michael Rooker, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Wasé Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Giovanni Ribisi and a lot more.

Described as “a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West,” 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,” reads a synopsis of the film. “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.”

Covering four years over two films feels reasonably ambitious, but Horizon was originally reported to span a full 15-year period. Back in 2022, Costner claimed his passion project was clocking in at 11 hours and would be divided into four different movies with two-plus hour runtimes that would release every three months. By fall of 2023, this had become two movies releasing about two months apart. According to The Hollywood Reporter, last summer’s strikes interrupted production of the final two installments, so chapters three and four could still be in the works.

The director actually sold the project as an “event television movie” but said in 2022 that “what [the studio does] with it will really be up to them because things change really quickly in how people want to see things and what they want to do.” At the time, Costner claimed Horizon “will eventually be cut up into [hour-long episodes] or 42 minutes—however TV works” so that audiences “get to see it the way I intended it to be seen.” So it seems the 11-hour director’s cut will still get its day in the sun.

And, y’know, for everything Costner has sacrificed for this project, you’d hope he’d get to present it however he wants. He gave up his Golden Globe-winning role on Yellowstone, the most popular show in America (“I sure hope [the movie is] worth it—and that it’s a good one,” said showrunner Taylor Sheridan). He put at least $20 million of his own money up for it (“I’ve mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house … But I did it without a thought,” Costner told Deadline). And, probably relatedly, given that the $20 million figure showed up in divorce filings, he split from his wife of 18 years. We’ll see if the juice was worth the squeeze this summer!