Why Kevin Costner Never Gave Up on His Western Epic “Horizon” for Over 30 Years: I Don't 'Fall Out of Love'

Costner unveiled the first trailer for his epic two-part Western ‘Horizon: An American Saga,’ out this summer, on Monday

Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube Kevin Costner in Horizon: An American Saga (2024)

Kevin Costner was committed to making Horizon: An American Saga, even if it took decades.

In a special virtual event and moderated discussion on Friday surrounding the film’s newly unveiled first trailer, the actor, director and co-writer spoke about his 30-year journey toward bringing his forthcoming Civil War-era Western epic to life.

“It’s hard to fall out of love — I don’t do that,” said Costner, 69. “And I think things that have a classic feel, they don’t fall out of touch either. I think they exist in any decade.”

He went on to say he believes an “opportunity we have in cinema is to make something that lasts past its opening weekend,” noting that he himself has “never banked on opening weekends.”

“I banked on people wanting to revisit something, wanting to tell something about it,” explained the two-time Academy Award winner.

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Warner Bros. Pictures Kevin Costner in Horizon: An American Saga (2024)

Per a synopsis, Horizon “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,” the synopsis adds.

Costner said during Friday’s discussion that he “wanted [Horizon] to step away from what we usually see in Westerns,” explaining that many he has seen are formulaic and consist of “just a convenience for a hero guy to knock down a dumb guy.”

“Westerns are in fact complicated, because this isn’t Disneyland. These are real lives, people just making their way, women just trying to keep their families clean, fed and basically worked to death. Women’s lives were short. All they did was have to work. And so I am drawn to that,” he added.

Warner Bros. Pictures Poster for Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga (2024)

Horizon’s cast also includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt and Jamie Campbell Bower, as well as Costner’s 15-year-old son Hayes.

For Costner, one of his goals with the film was “to project what really happened” during that specific time in American history.

“There was a great injustice incurred in the West, but it doesn’t minimize the courage it took for my ancestors to actually cut loose and go there,” the actor and filmmaker said. “And I recognize the resourcefulness it took, the bravery it took, to leave and make this march across this country.”

He added of the trailer specifically, “What I hope is that this is something that stays with [audiences] forever when they see the movie, and trying to find the moments in a trailer in 3 minutes to try to give people a feel where I might be taking them.”

Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 is in theaters June 28, followed by Chapter 2 on Aug. 16.

Read the original article on People.