Meet ‘Horizon,’ the Kevin Costner Passion Project That Broke ‘Yellowstone’

The desire to focus on Horizon: An America Saga reportedly led to the demise of Yellowstone, with the project supposedly causing tension with the series’ showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

News of the neo-Western drama’s conclusion broke in May, allegedly due to clashes with producers and conflicts in leading man Kevin Costner’s busy schedule.

One of those conflicts appears to be Horizon: An American Saga, a two-part film series directed and produced by Costner. The Western epic will be spread across two installments, both set to release in summer 2024, with Warner Bros dropping the first trailer on October 5. 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 franchises.

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.

“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.”

When Will Horizon: An American Saga Be Released?

Chapter 1 is set to release on June 28, 2024, followed by Chapter 2 on August 16, 2024. Originally, Costner planned four installments, with a new chapter released every four months. Production for the first two movies is complete, with the third chapter on hold due to the now-concluded writer’s strike.

Who Stars in Horizon: An American Saga?

Anatomy of a Scandal star Sienna Miller, Avatar actor Sam Worthington, and Legally Blonde’s Luke Wilson feature alongside Costner.

Ted villain Giovanni Ribisi, Stranger Things baddie Jamie Campbell-Bower, The Wire’s Glynn Turman, and Academy Award nominee Kathleen Quinlan will also star.

Did Horizon: An American Saga Affect Yellowstone?

Although Yellowstone focuses on the Dutton family, Costner’s role as patriarch John Dutton is crucial to the narrative—with the actor winning a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the ranch owner. In April, rumors began to swirl that Costner and series creator Taylor Sheridan had been at loggerheads over the show’s direction for a while, leaving its future uncertain.

According to Daily Mail, the 52-year-old showrunner—who also helms spin-offs 1883 and 1923—had “developed a God complex” behind the scenes, leading to a breakdown in his relationship with Costner, who is also an executive producer on the show.

“Kevin will forever be proud of and grateful for Yellowstone and the cast is like family to him,” a source told the publication.

“He just felt like Yellowstone is headed in a direction that was not in line with their initial vision and he was met with criticism, including that he should just stick to acting.”

However, Costner’s supposed desire to have a short shooting schedule—reportedly of a week—to film the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season did not go down well, with Deadline claiming that the star wanted to focus on Horizon instead.

In response, Costner’s attorney Marty Singer called the rumors “an absolute lie.”

“It’s ridiculous—and anyone suggesting it shouldn’t be believed for one second,” Singer told Puck News in February. “As everyone who knows anything about Kevin is well aware, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone way above and beyond to ensure its success.”

Costner reportedly blamed script delays for the production issues. The actor reportedly made himself available for filming in both late 2022 and early 2023, but the scripts were not ready.

“Kevin’s been extremely cooperative with working with Taylor and his production company, 101 Studios,” a source told the New York Post. “They were supposed to shoot the second chapter of season five late last year, but they just didn’t have the scripts.”

Although Yellowstone may be coming to a close, a new spin-off called 6666 is expected to air before the end of 2023, while another spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey is also said to be in the works.