Kevin Costner Was Brought To Tears After His New Film “Horizon: An American Saga” Got A 13-Minute Standing Ovation At Premiere

Kevin Costner is single handedly bringing the great western filmmaking genre back. Just try and forget about the hitch he has (or has not) put into the conclusion of the uberly popular TV show Yellowstone. It may not be all Costner's fault that the second half of Season 5 has been delayed for quite some time, but his schedule and his desire to move forward with his personal project made things increasingly complicated. Costner has stayed rather quiet about all of the controversy surrounding Yellowstone, but he finally broke that silence in a recent interview with Deadline, saying that the delays (and now his ultimate exclusion from the end of the show) were more on Yellowstone than they were on him: "I made a contract for seasons five, six and seven. In February, after a two- or three-month negotiation, they made another contract. They wanted to redo that one, and instead of seasons six and seven, it was 5A and 5B, and maybe we’ll do six. They weren’t able to make those. Horizon was set in the middle, but Yellowstone was first position. I fit Horizon into the gaps. They just kept moving their gaps." Costner also reportedly told the show runners of Yellowstone that he would have been more than happy to return to finish out his story arc before he started filming his new movie Horizon. From how the 69-year-old tells it, he offered up a week of availability to finish shooting the show, and the show and its script just wasn't ready when the time came. But now the time has come for Horizon: An American Saga. The passion project of Costner's, of which he produced, directed, and starred in, just had its premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and it evidently went over very well. After the film played for the audience, everyone reportedly stood up after the Horizon's conclusion and gave it a 13 minute standing ovation. That kindness and acceptance that everyone in attendance displayed brought a mustachioed Kevin Costner to tears:

Kevin Costner gets teary-eyed during the standing ovation for his film “Horizon: An American Saga” at Cannes. pic.twitter.com/ddOxeGUprm

— Variety (@Variety) May 19, 2024

Kevin Costner apparently didn't plan to speak after the premiere, but he really didn't have a choice after the crowd applauded the film for over 10 minutes. A still teary-eyed Costner took the microphone and thanked everyone for the generosity and applause they showed Horizon: "Such good people. Such a good moment, not just for me, but for the actors that came with me (and) the people who believed in me. It's a funny business, and I'm so glad I found it. There's no place like here. I'll never forget this... I made this. It's not mine anymore, it's yours. I knew that the minute this was over, and that's the way it should be. Movies aren't about their opening weekends. They're about their life. I feel so lucky and I feel so blessed... there's three more."

Kevin Costner teared up multiple times at the premiere of Horizon: An American Saga. “I’ll never forget this, my children will never forget this.” #cannes2024 LOVES this man. (I don’t think much of standing Os, but this one was 13 mins and robust through the credits.) pic.twitter.com/ViGfSHJc36

— Jada Yuan (@jadabird) May 19, 2024

It is titled Horizon: An American Saga after all. There should be no surprise that Costner intends to keep the train rolling right along with the rest of the story, though this initial installment deserves to have its time in the spotlight. Judging by the response it got at Cannes, Costner's western saga is off to a tremendous start.

A Nation Unsettled. #HorizonAmericanSaga - Only in Theaters June 28 pic.twitter.com/UvHkErKdRg

— Horizon: An American Saga (@Horizonsaga) May 16, 2024