Summary

Kevin Costner confirms filming for
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 3
has begun, as fans eagerly anticipate the first movie’s release.
Costner shared behind-the-scenes glimpses from the set, while also inviting audiences to ”
see what we’ve put together for you
” in the upcoming first and second movies.
Though Costner has clearly ambitious plans for the franchise, the mixed response to the first movie may indicate a slower approach is needed.

After previous reports indicated a June start for the threequel, Kevin Costner has confirmed Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 3’s filming start. Costner’s upcoming Western movie is set to be a sprawling Western epic set in the Civil War period and exploring the lives of a variety of characters involved in different facets of western expansion, ranging from gunslingers to Union soldiers to farmers and settlers. In addition to co-writing, directing and producing the first two movies, Costner is part of Horizon’s star-studded ensemble, which also includes Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller, Danny Huston and Jamie Campbell Bower, among many others.

With just shy of a week remaining until the first movie hits theaters, Costner took to his Instagram to reveal that Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 3 is now filming.

The post, as seen above, sees Costner directing a group of Native actors on the set of the third movie, which was previously reported to begin filming in Summer 2024. Costner’s caption also expresses the surreal feeling of the first movie’s upcoming release and inviting audiences to “see what we’ve put together for you.”

Is Costner Moving Too Fast With Horizon?

Early into the movie’s development, which had technically begun in the late ’80s before properly making headway in early 2022, Costner had indicated Horizon would span across four movies, initially with the intention of filming all of them back-to-back. This plan ultimately changed as Warner Bros. took to greenlighting the second film shortly after the first began shooting, with Chapter 2’s filming kicking off in Spring 2023. In spite of this initial quicker turnaround, Horizon Chapter 3 found itself delayed due to both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, and a need for further funding.

Though his plans are thoroughly ambitious and the studio’s confidence in his vision an encouraging sign for all four films to come to fruition, there is some concern that Costner may be moving too fast with his future Horizon: An American Saga movies. This is particularly the case after the Cannes premiere of the first movie, which was met with a decidedly mixed reception from critics, who acknowledged the potential in his plans, though felt the pacing to be a little too sluggish and lamented the story felt incomplete, regardless of his sequel plans.

Related 10 Horizon Details That Make Kevin Costner’s Western Epic Such A Big Risk Horizon: An American Saga is an exciting new Western from Kevin Costner, but the film is incredibly risk, with these 10 reasons proving why.

Some even found these complaints to be similar to those of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movies, whose sequel set a career-low for the filmmaker on Rotten Tomatoes. While there is still plenty of time for Costner to take the criticism of the first movie to heart going into the rest of Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 3’s production, the quick turnaround could also leave him little time to process any complaints and adjust accordingly. With only 25 reviews currently released for the first Horizon movie, though, and the sequel yet to be viewed by any, it will be interesting to see if Costner can avoid the same stumbles of other rushed franchises.

Source: Kevin Costner/Instagram

Horizon: An American Saga Horizon: An American Saga is a Western film directed by Kevin Costner, and sees him in the starring role. The film explores multiple generations surrounding the expansion of the American West before and after the Civil War. Horizon is the first in a series of four films, all of which were greenlit by Warner Bros. Pictures.Director Kevin Costner Release Date June 28, 2024 Studio(s) New Line Cinema , Territory Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Jon Baird , Kevin Costner Cast Kevin Costner , Sienna Miller , Sam Worthington , Luke Wilson , Giovanni Ribisi , Thomas Haden Church , Jena Malone , Abbey Lee , Michael Rooker , Danny Huston , Isabelle Fuhrman , Jeff Fahey , Will Patton , Tatanka Means , Ella Hunt , Jamie Campbell Bower Expand Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 2 Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 is a western drama film directed by Kevin Costner. Broken into two parts, Horizon explores the periods before and after the American Civil War, with the reconstruction and new era for Western Expansion.Director Kevin Costner Release Date August 16, 2024 Studio(s) New Line Cinema , Territory Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Kevin Costner , Jon Baird Cast Kevin Costner , Sienna Miller , Sam Worthington , Jena Malone , Owen Crow Shoe , Tatanka Means , Ella Hunt Expand