Legal Woes Hit Kevin Costner’s Horizon Franchise Amid Chapter 2 Delay
Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga Franchise Faces Legal Battle as Chapter 2 Release Remains Uncertain
Kevin Costner’s passion project, Horizon: An American Saga, is now entangled in a legal dispute, with the release of Chapter 2 still undetermined. The franchise, a four-part epic about the settling of the American West before and after the Civil War, sees Costner not only starring but also serving as writer, director, and producer. Despite high hopes, the first film premiered last summer and significantly underperformed at the box office, causing the theatrical release of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 to be postponed, with the status of chapters 3 and 4 also uncertain.
The legal battle involves New Line Cinema and Horizon Series, Kevin Costner’s production company, who reportedly entered a co-financing agreement tied to the franchise. This agreement required both parties to share repayment responsibilities to City National Bank. However, City National Bank initiated arbitration proceedings against both New Line and Horizon Series over financing issues. In response, New Line filed a crossclaim against Costner’s company, seeking repayment as part of its defense.
What This Means for the Future of the Horizon Franchise
The Horizon franchise is unusual in Hollywood, largely because Costner invested heavily in it himself — putting in at least $50 million of his own money, deferring his fees, and even mortgaging his Santa Barbara home. Unfortunately, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was met with mixed reviews and only grossed about $38 million worldwide against a reported $100 million budget. The sequel was initially scheduled for release just seven weeks after the first film but was delayed to give viewers more time to discover the franchise on streaming platforms.
While Chapter 2 has been completed and even premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last September, it currently has no official release date. Production on Chapter 3 began last year but has since stalled due to funding issues, and Chapter 4’s future remains uncertain. This ongoing legal dispute adds another major obstacle, casting doubt on whether the final two installments will ever be released.
Our Take on the Setback
Kevin Costner has been publicly committed to completing all four films in the Horizon saga. However, given the mounting challenges, the likelihood of Chapter 4 coming to fruition seems slim, and even Chapter 3 faces an uphill battle to reach theaters. The most practical solution at this point may be to rework the third installment into a concluding chapter to prevent the story from remaining unfinished.
While Westerns occasionally find success on streaming services, the genre struggles to draw large theater audiences, which poses a significant problem for a four-part theatrical epic like Horizon. Despite Costner’s dedication, Westerns aren’t as popular as they once were in cinemas, and the franchise’s future remains very much up in the air.
