Horizon: An American Saga is a 2024 four-part American epic Western film co-written, produced, directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It is the first film Costner has directed since fellow Western Open Range (2003).
The films chronicle a 12-year-long story, following several characters who leave their homes to settle the American West. It will explore America before, during and after The American Civil War, with the principle protagonist of Hayes Ellison being portrayed by Costner. The 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.
Chapter 1 came out on June 28, 2024, while Chapter 2 was set to come out on August 16 before being pulled from theaters after the lackluster response to Chapter 1 at the box office (it had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in late August 2024, but still no release as of Fall 2025). The films were shot back to back. Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 were put on hold.
Previews: Teaser
, Trailer 1, Trailer 2.
Not to be confused with the Horizon video games, which do take place in America but are otherwise completely unrelated.
Horizon: An American Saga contains examples of:
- Generational Saga: Downplayed since the films will only cover 12 years, which is not enough time to really explore a third generation. However Chapter 1 introduces several adult characters and children, with the clear intention of exploring their lives.
- Movie Multipack: Comes in four parts, with the first two being released less than two months apart in Summer 2024.
- The Title Saga: Has An American Saga as part of the title.
- Vanity Project: Like all Costner-made westerns, the Saga exists predominately due to his purely personal investment (both financial and artistic) in the matter. He plays the lead, directed it, produced it and also had his hand in script rewrites (while hand-picking first screenwriters that he knows personally as people that will take his input)
- Ax-Crazy: Caleb Sykes, so much so that his brother Junior tells him to get lost, leading to his death by Hayes's hands.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: H. Silas Pickering.
- Death of a Child: Nat Kittredge is among those killed in the Apache raid on Horizon.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The Sykeses are a miscreant clan of thugs, but they care enough about each other to avenge their deaths.
- Evil Matriarch: Mrs. Sykes. She genuinely loves her sons but has no regret or sympathy for those they harm.
- The Ingenue: Lizzy Kittredge, with shades of The Pollyanna.
- Mama Bear: Both Lucy/Ellen and Frances Kittredge, particularly the former.
- Officer O'Hara: A military variant, but Sergeant Major Thomas Riordan fits the archetype.
- Pursued Protagonist: In the montage at the end presumably teasing scenes from the next film, we see Hayes being chased on horseback and shooting at his pursuers with a Winchester rifle.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Young Russell Ganz sets out on this after his family is killed in the Apache raid on Horizon. The realities of his compatriots' racism and indiscriminate massacring of Apache prove too much for him to take, however.
- Romancing the Widow: Trent Gephardt develops feelings for recently widowed Frances Kittredge.
- The Stoic: Hayes Ellison in particular.
- Time Skip: The film starts in 1859, showing two groups of surveys attempting to establish the town Horizon before they are killed by Apaches. A missionary named Desmarais however finds them and the "Horizon" pamphlet poster, deciding to establish the town himself. The film then skips to 1863, showing that Horizon has started to become a proper town.
- You Remind Me of X: Sgt. Maj. Riordan and his wife take a particular shine to Lizzy because she reminds them of their late daughter.