MOVIE NEWS – Kevin Costner’s Horizon seemed to be fading into obscurity, with nothing but silence surrounding its future release, as fans wondered when Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 might finally hit theaters. Now, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel with an official U.S. premiere date for the highly anticipated Western saga’s continuation.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 is set to premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 7. It has been a tense wait for Costner, who has a substantial financial stake in the franchise’s future. After its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in September 2024, Costner has been waiting five months for the film to take its next step.

The event will begin at 2 p.m. with a screening of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, followed by the debut of Chapter 2 at 6 p.m. The double feature will include a Q&A session with Costner, and he will make another appearance on February 13 at 8:20 p.m. for a screening of the behind-the-scenes documentary Beyond the Horizon, followed by another Q&A with the documentary’s director, Mark Gillard.

Despite these exciting developments, Costner still has a long road ahead in making all four films necessary to complete his saga. Horizon: Chapter 2 does not yet have an official theater release date, and if the film doesn’t perform better than its predecessor, Costner may face resistance in moving forward with Chapters 3 and 4.

Kevin Costner’s Bold Journey in Bringing Horizon to the Big Screen

Bringing Horizon to life was no easy feat for Kevin Costner, who took significant risks, not only financially but personally as well. The timing of the film’s production effectively ended his role on Yellowstone, creating controversy for both projects for several months.

In the behind-the-scenes book The Great Horizon: Photographing Kevin Costner’s American Saga, Costner opens up about the challenges and journey of making the film.

“Making Horizon: An American Saga has been the hardest journey of my life. The dream was passionately fought for, and achieved by only a few, and even then, only through the blood, sweat, and tears of many. Chasing those dreams across the West led to the nightmares of the people who had lived there for centuries. This was a story I had to tell.”

Following the underwhelming box office performance of Horizon: Chapter 1, the film performed well on Max and Netflix. This strategy seemed designed to let more people discover Chapter 1, potentially encouraging them to see Chapter 2 in theaters instead of waiting for a streaming release. Will it succeed? Time will tell, but with the U.S. premiere now set, the next chapter of Costner’s epic is poised to hit theaters soon.

Source: MovieWeb