Introducing ‘Horizon,’ the Kevin Costner Films That Broke ‘Yellowstone’

Warner Bros. has released the first teaser for Kevin Costner’s new film series, Horizon: An American Saga. Costner’s sprawling Western passion project may have inadvertently led to the demise of Yellowstone after the film’s shooting schedule reportedly caused tension with the series’ showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

News of Yellowstone’s abrupt conclusion broke in May, after weeks of reports that leading man Costner and Yellowstone creator Sheridan couldn’t come to an agreement over scheduling and pay to complete the second half of the Paramount series’ fifth season.

One of those disputes was reportedly related to Horizon: An American Saga, a two-part film series directed, produced, and co-written by Costner, who will also star. The Western epic will span two installments, both set to release in summer 2024. Newsweek has reached out to Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan for comment via email.

Here’s everything to know about the Oscar winner’s ambitious new project, and how it may have led to the death of one of TV’s biggest shows.Kevin Costner as John Dutton in ‘Yellowstone’. Costner’s desire to focus on his upcoming ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ reportedly caused friction with ‘Yellowstone’ showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

What Is Horizon: An American Saga About?

Horizon: An American Saga is the first project Costner has directed since Open Range—also a Western—in 2003.

In an interview with Variety, the 68-year-old said that the Horizon films are separate stories that interlink. Set during the settlement of America’s Western frontier, the films span a 15-year period that covers before and after the Civil War.

“You’re watching a saga of these storylines that are happening,” he told the publication in June. Horizon will focus on both settler groups and the Native Americans that call the land their home — themes that are similar to that of Yellowstone and its prequels 1883 and 1923.

“It’s a really beautiful story; it’s a hard story,” Costner said. “It really involves a lot of women, to be honest. There are a lot of men in it, too, but the women are really strong in Horizon. It’s just them trying to get by every day in a world that was impossibly tough.”

Here’s how Warner Bros. describes the two films: “In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, 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. 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.”