![Kevin Costner Horizon]()
There's only one person that needs to believe in a project for Kevin Costner to move forward with it, and that person is himself.
Though his chapter with
Yellowstone may not be coming to a rewarding close, the 69-year-old actor's passion project appears to be off to a great start. There's been a lot of excitement surrounding
Horizon: An American Saga, and the first of the four films produced by, directed by, and starring Costner was met with quite the reaction at its premiere.
Kevin Costner was brought to tears when the
first installment of Horizon got a 13-minute standing ovation at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. He wasn't originally planning on speaking after the premiere, but the response was so overwhelming, he felt as though the crowd deserved to hear something from the mind that brought the western epic to life.
Costner tearfully worked his way through an impromptu speech after the premiere (and the prolonged standing ovation), thanking everyone for supporting him and appreciating the movie:
"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."
https://twitter.com/jadabird/status/1792321548059029675
Essentially, Costner said, "There's more where that came from."
From the perspective of a movie fan who loves the western genre, that's great news. For Kevin Costner's checkbook, on the other hand, that might be... whatever the opposite of a blessing in disguise is.
I only say that because after it was estimated that Costner has spent $20 million financing the first two portions of Horizon, the revered actor set the record straight and said that number is closer to $38 million.
He told
Variety:
"I know they say I’ve got $20 million of my own money in this movie. It’s not true. I’ve got now about $38 million in the film. That’s the truth. That’s the real number."
https://twitter.com/ComplexPop/status/1792595721620709701
That's a lot of moolah.
So why would Costner go out on a limb like that and self finance the movie when no one else would step in to help out? It's simple. Kevin Costner knows what it takes to make a good movie, and he's driven by how magical movies can be.
He made his motives clear (while also discussing some boots-on-the-ground fundraising techniques) when he took time to talk with the media after his newest film's premiere, sharing:
"It seems to be a pattern that some of the things I like are harder to make. My problem is that I don't fall out of love with what I think is something good...
I believe in it. I believe that when we're in a movie theatre and the lights go out, something magical can happen.
A curtain can open... part of why I wanted to make (Horizon) one, two, three and four is to make it for myself because I know what's it like to sit out there in the audience and the curtain open and something magic is going to happen."
https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1792512412316213608
Let's hope that magic happens both in the theatre seats and at the box office so Kevin Costner can keep making what he loves.
