One of the most anticipated releases on the 2024 movie schedule — or should I say two of them — is Kevin Costner's return to directing for the western epic Horizon: An American Saga, which is currently set to release as a pair of war-stricken features. And now we finally know what to expect, thanks to the bullet-ridden, flame-covered, action-packed trailer seen above. Just don't call Costner's character John Dutton.
I mean, I don't know if it's entirely possible for anyone to watch this gigantic trailer for Horizon and not be immediately filled with Yellowstone-related comments and comparisons. After four and a half seasons of the Paramount Network neo-western, I now kind of think any cinematic shots of grassy and/or mountainous expanses west of the Mississippi will inevitably look like an exterior shot in the Yellowstone universe, whether we're talking about the mothership show or one of its history-exploring prequels. That'd be the case here, given the Civil War timeline, which actually predates any of the Dutton family's main narratives. (Save for war-torn flashbacks in 1883.)
Horizon: An American Saga is indeed set during the tumultuous years of this country's Civil War, but with more of a focus on western expansion as opposed to the plethora of battle sites pockmarked throughout the Eastern part of the U.S. And there are a ton of characters whose emotional experiences will take audiences deeper into what it felt like to defend and fight for this country during a time of great strife. Even for a trailer that went over three minutes, it still didn't seem like we saw all of the familiar faces that signed on for the film.
Check out just part of the bonkers cast list for this movie, which reunites Costner with Yellowstone vets Will Patton and Danny Huston:
- Kevin Costner
- Sienna Miller
- Sam Worthington
- Giovanni Ribisi
- Jena Malone
- Abbey Lee
- Michael Rooker
- Danny Huston
- Luke Wilson
- Isabelle Fuhrman
- Jeff Fahey
- Will Patton
- Tatanka Means
- Owen Crow Shoe
- Ella Hunt
- Jamie Campbell Bower
- Thomas Haden Church
- Alejandro Edda
- Tom Payne
- Kathleen Quinlan
- Dale Dickey
- Hayes Costner
That's seriously just 2/3 of the core cast, many of whom can be seen in the extended trailer above. (Michael Rooker in a cowboy hat all day, all night.) Killers of the Flower Moon fans will probably recognize Tatanka Means, who is also set to star in the sequel to Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan's Wind River, though the latter is not involved. And it'll be fun to see Jamie Campbell Bower in Western mode ahead of his return as Vecna in Stranger Things Season 5.
As we previously reported, Horizon: An American Saga has an R rating, and the trailer certainly hints at why that's the case, even without showing a whole lot of violence and atrocities directly. Just the implication of families being burned alives in their homes is disturbing enough for me.
Horizon: An American Saga will hit theaters with its first part on Friday, June 28, with the second chapter reaching audiences on Friday, August 16, not even two months later. Expect for a lot of studio heads to be paying close attention to this release strategy to see how things shake out.
And then Yellowstone fans can check out the final Season 5 episodes, currently without exiting star Kevin Costner, when they are set to arrive on Paramount Network near the end of 2024.
