“Kevin Costner Calls Delay of ‘Horizon Chapter 2’ a ‘Miracle’ and Gets Emotional Over ‘Chapter 3’ at Venice Film Festival”
After the debut of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 at Cannes last May, Kevin Costner is now at the Venice Film Festival for the world premiere of the second installment in his Manifest Destiny epic. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, which Costner both directed and stars in, alongside Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Isabelle Fuhrman, Luke Wilson, and others, will be shown out of competition this afternoon. Prior to the screening, Costner met with the press.
Costner co-wrote the epic, which is planned as a four-part series, with Jon Baird and also produces it under his Territory Pictures banner. He has committed a significant personal investment, with a projected $98 million spent on the first three films, and financing the fourth will push the total over $100 million. Despite the challenges, Costner expressed optimism about the future of the project.
The Venice Film Festival screening for Chapter 2 comes after New Line’s domestic release, initially set for August 16, was postponed due to a sluggish box office performance for Chapter 1. “It didn’t have overwhelming success,” Costner admitted, but he remains hopeful, noting that many films he’s worked on have found success over time.
Costner, who recently mentioned that Chapter 2 is expected to be released before the end of the year, took the release delay in stride. He explained that the studio’s decision to shift the release date by six weeks ended up aligning with his original plan to release the films about five to six months apart. This timing allowed him to attend the Venice Film Festival, which he described as a “miracle.”
Discussing the future of the series, Costner acknowledged the challenges of continuing the story. “If there’s anything that you expect from Part 2, you realize that 2 gets harder than 1. It’s hard to go west. Three is the same thing. It gets harder. But I will tell you this, Chapter 3 is devastating,” he said. He expressed a strong commitment to completing the trilogy, saying, “I have to hurry and not let the rock fall back downhill. I’ve gotta go put my hands on it again and start to push it up. It’s a rope that I cannot let go of.” His voice grew emotional as he added, “I don’t know how I’m gonna make 3 right now, but I’m gonna make it.”
On the subject of why he chose to explore this historical narrative, Costner explained, “I just love the journey of America, the promise of what America was… When people crossed the Atlantic Ocean, they saw something they couldn’t possibly believe: a gigantic continent with not a single building. It was a 300, 400-year march across America from sea to shining sea, done by our ancestors into a land where there was nothing but animals and people who lived lightly on it. The struggle to hold onto that promise was part of our history.”
Costner emphasized that Horizon is not intended as a political message but as a reminder of the immense effort and hardship involved in America’s development. “It’s not a message to my country; it’s a reminder of how difficult the journey was,” he said. He added that movies, while universally experienced, resonate differently with each viewer.
Reflecting on his previous visit to Venice 35 years ago for Silverado, Costner recounted how he unexpectedly encountered a packed theater for Fandango, another film he starred in that year. He was deeply moved by the audience’s reaction and the realization that his work resonated on a global scale. “I’m making movies for the world. I may make American movies, but everything I do relates to behavior, and I think behavior translates around the world.”
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is also screening at Venice. Costner has previously stated that the festival’s decision to showcase both films reflects their belief in the synergy of the two parts and their support for a director’s vision.
