Kevin Costner has perhaps done more to keep the Western alive than anyone. The man behind such films as Dances with Wolves, Open Range, Wyatt Earp, and former star of Taylor Sheridan’s popular Yellowstone has spent the better part of three decades starring in and directing Westerns to great success on multiple platforms. He’s also spent nearly three decades developing his frontier magnum opus, Horizon: An American Saga. And the long-awaited passion project finally arrives this summer in two parts.
After a teaser dropped last year, a brand new trailer gives our best look at the frontier drama about America’s expansion into the Old West. Costner is joined in the cast by a huge ensemble that includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Jena Malone, Tatanka Means, Alejandro Edda, Michael Rooker, Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Jeff Fahey, and Tom Payne.
Here’s the synopsis: 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. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
Even through the synopsis, which calls back to the great Western tradition of past Warner Bros. classics, you can see that Costner’s got grand ambitions for this project. With three sequels already in the works, we could be talking about a huge long-running franchise.
Horizon: An American Saga Part One hits theaters on June 28th, with Part Two coming on August 16th. If these are successful, Warner Bros. and Costner are look at a third and possibly fourth movie.