Kevin Costner's 'Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2' gets Venice Film Festival premiere
After an early July announcement that the planned Aug. 16 release of "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2" had been postponed, the film will get a new grand opening at the Venice Film Festival.
The festival announced this week that the follow-up sequel will premiere along with the first chapter, which hit theaters on June 28, at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 7 in the out out-of-competition section of the festival.
Kevin Costner, who created, directed, wrote, produced and stars in the films, said in a statement about the film's new premiere slot in Venice, "My dream was always to show 'Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter Two' at the Venice Film Festival. The fact that now they have decided to show Chapter One earlier in the day and then the World Premiere of Chapter Two that evening shows not only their belief in how the two films work together but their support of a director's vision."
On July 10, a New Line Cinema spokesperson confirmed the second film's postponement in a statement explaining that the decision was made "in order to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of 'Horizon' over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and MAX."
"We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing 'Horizon 2,'" Territory Pictures added in a statement.
"Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1" opened June 28 and earned $11.1 million in its opening weekend at the box office, according to The Numbers, a film industry data website that tracks box office revenue. The film was met with lukewarm reviews from critics after initial release.
Below, read everything you need to know about the Warner Bros. Pictures films.
When is 'Horizon: An American Saga' out?
"Horizon: An American Saga" Chapter 1 hit theaters on June 28. It will be followed by Chapter 2, which is now planned for premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 7.
What is 'Horizon: An American Saga' film about?
Costner's latest project is a Western in theme, style and story. The project is set in the American West during the Civil War years, 1861 to 1865.
The story chronicles the American expansion of the West in an all encompassing story about how the United States came to span from ocean to ocean.
"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," a synopsis from Warner Bros. reads.
Has the trailer been released for 'Horizon: An American Saga'?
Both Chapter 1 and 2 have accompanying trailers offering glimpses at the Western saga. Both trailers are highlighted by beautiful shots of the Western countryside.
In the beginning of the trailer for Chapter 1, a voice highlights the movie's theme saying, "These people think that if they're tough enough, smart enough and mean enough, all of this will be theirs some day."
More hints are dropped in trailer two, where, amid sweeping shots of the American West, we see Costner looking at a flyer advertising a town called Horizon, billed as somewhere where one can procure a home. He calls it "the place I might be able to see myself."
A montage of moments from the film highlight the all-star ensemble cast.
Who is starring in 'Horizon: An American Saga'?
The cast is expansive but some of the names starring alongside Costner are names like "American Sniper" star Sienna Miller, who plays an American settler, and "Avatar" star Sam Worthington, who plays a disgruntled soldier. Jena Malone plays a resident of Watts Parish, a mining town, and Owen Crow Shoe plays an Apache warrior. The cast also includes Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower and more.
Costner's son Hayes appears in the movie alongside his movie star father. Costner shares Hayes, one of his seven children, with with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner.
"When it's your movie you get to pick who you hang out with 👍🏻 Really proud of my son, Hayes, for making his acting debut in #HorizonAmericanSaga," Costner wrote on Instagram back in March, sharing a clip of his son in the film's first trailer.
How many films will there be?
Following Chapter 2, Costner said he hopes to extend the "Horizon" series into a four-part Western saga.
"I had one that I was planning on doing, and no one would do it," Costner said back in May, in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, adding that the experience encouraged him to make the series into a four-movie saga.
Costner also told GQ in May that he had finished writing all the scripts saying, "I liked all four of 'em. They're already written."
Costner added that despite the project not being fully financed yet, he planned to go through with the four-part arc.
"They're going to happen regardless, but they're not already funded," he said.
