Kevin Costner announces premiere of ‘Horizon 2’ despite axed cinematic release
Although the sequel for Kevin Costner‘s self-funded film series, Horizon: An American Saga, has been pulled from American cinemas, it will premiere at Venice Film Festival in September.
The Horizon series is comprised of four planned films directed, co-written, produced and starring Costner. Boasting a bumper cast featuring Sienna Miller, Giovanni Ribisi, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Jamie Campbell Bower, Danny Huston, Abbey Lee, Michael Angarano, and Luke Wilson, the collection of movies is the Hollywood legend’s most ambitious project to date, but has got off to a rocky start.
In total, the cost of financing the project has set Costner back $38 million, and the actor has placed everything on the line to make Horizon become a genuine film series rather than an ambitious dream. As of yet, no new date has been revealed regarding the release date of the second movie.
However, Costner remains intent on realising his vision, and Horizon 2 is set to be shown at Venice Film Festival, which is set to run from August 28th to September 7th. Notable other movies set to premiere in Italy include Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist.
Although Horizon 2 isn’t part of the competition at the Venice Film Festival, it will be shown on the final day of the two-week-long cinematic event. Furthermore, earlier in the same day, the first movie in Costner’s series will be shown in Venice.
In a statement, Costner shared his delight and thanked the festival for showing faith in his project, stating, “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. I’m indebted to Alberto Barbera for his courage and leadership in committing to this cinematic journey.”
Barbera also noted: “It is a great pleasure and honor to host the world premiere of the chapter two of Horizon: An American Saga, alongside its chapter one.”
He described the late addition to the line-up as “a heartfelt and respectful tribute to the visionary project of a great actor and director”. Costner is also praised because he “invested himself in the epic reconstruction of the years crucial to the founding of the country, digging beyond myth in search of authenticity capable of restoring a piece of history in its complex and contradictory reality.”
Following the earlier announcement of the film’s postponement, Costner’s Territory Pictures said the delay will heighten anticipation for the film and “only serve to enhance the experience of seeing Horizon 2.”
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