“Kevin Costner Shifts Gears: A New Genre Awaits After ‘Horizon’ Setback and ‘Yellowstone’ Turmoil”
Kevin Costner is diving into a new genre with his upcoming surfing thriller, Headhunters. The Oscar-winning actor, now 69, is making a significant shift away from the Western genre after a series of high-profile projects, including his iconic role in Yellowstone and his ambitious franchise, Horizon: An American Saga, which struggled at the box office.
In this film, Costner will star, produce, and co-write under his production company, Territory Pictures. He’s teamed up with cinematographer Steven Holleran, who will direct based on an idea he originated.
“My filmmaking journey started in the ocean, shooting surf videos in California as a teenager,” said Holleran. “Twenty years later, Headhunters brings it full circle, connecting my lifelong passions for surfing, filmmaking, and adventure.”
Costner will portray Lazer, a weary American expatriate living in Bali, who teams up with a character named Bima to seek out an uncharted island in pursuit of the perfect wave. However, their adventure soon turns into a survival story of epic proportions on what initially seems like a tropical paradise but reveals itself to be a nightmarish hell.
Pre-production has already begun in Hawaii, with filming set to start next month. The project has attracted interest from both streaming services and studios looking to acquire distribution rights.
Producer Scott Steindorff expressed his excitement: “For decades, Kevin and I have been searching for the right project to collaborate on. This is one of the best scripts I’ve seen in my career. Kevin brings incredible depth and charisma to his roles, and with Steve, we’ve crafted an iconic horror script.”
This news comes shortly after the cancellation of Horizon: Chapter 2, which was slated for an August release. The first installment, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, earned a modest $23 million in its first two weeks and faced challenges given its $100 million production cost. Costner had invested his own money and had begun work on a third chapter, hoping to ultimately create a four-part saga intended for both film and television.
“I always knew the end goal for Horizon would be TV,” Costner noted. “They’ll likely break it up into multiple parts, turning 13 or 14 hours of film into 25 hours of TV. That was essential to me, and I was committed to making it happen.”
