Kevin Costner
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Kevin Costner rode into Cannes with cowboy swagger, making finger pistols on the red carpet to cheers from the crowd ahead of the premiere. Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1A partially self-financed western, it was one of the biggest swings in his long career.
Inside the Grand Lumiere theater, Costner was greeted with a standing ovation (including some guests wearing cowboy hats) before the first public screening of the $90 million-plus budgeted film, which was planned as part of a four-part saga.
After three hours, when the credits rolled, the crowd began to thin out at four and a half minutes, but then continued for a total of ten minutes, ending in tears. Costner took the microphone to talk about the film he directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in.
“I’m sorry you clapped so long for me to speak,” Costner told the crowd, adding of the movie, “It’s not mine anymore. It’s yours. That moment I knew it was over. And it had to be.”
Costner continued: “I think movies aren’t about their opening weekends, they’re about their lives. And about how often you’re willing to share. I hope you will share this movie with your loved ones and your children.
the horizon It’s a big gamble for Costner, who has been trying to develop the project for more than 30 years. After decades of trying to find a studio financier, Costner put $20 million of his own money into the project, deferring his payments and taking out a loan on his Santa Barbara home. “When no one wanted to make the first one, I had the bright idea to make four,” Costner quipped during a press conference in February. He already shot Lesson 2It bows after two months Chapter one. He wants to develop two more scripts and has a few days of shooting Chapter 3, But funds are needed to complete the film.
A winner since Best Director Dances with Wolves, Costner became synonymous with the Western genre, and emerged as one of its greatest champions. She was one of the first A-list movie stars to jump to TV with miniseries Hatfields & McCoys In 2012, before this kind of movie-to-TV move became commonplace. And significantly, he led the ratings Yellow stone For five seasons, the fate of the second half of the fifth season hangs in the balance. (Yellow stone The producers have claimed the rights to Costner the horizon The schedule made him unavailable for the show, while Costner’s camp blamed it on writing delays Yellow stone conclusion.)
Costner pays with his own money Yellow stone The crowd is showing up the horizon. In a bold move, the first two parts will come out back-to-back Chapter 1 Arriving in North America on June 28th Lesson 2 August is coming. Warner Bros. handles domestic distribution, but the game has no financial power.
Although Cannes fans loved the film, The Hollywood Reporter Chief film critic David Rooney didn’t make much of it, saying, “Kevin Costner has been in the saddle long enough to know the difference between big-screen features like westerns. Dances with WolvesA miniseries like Hatfields & McCoys or a longer form Yellow stone. All those projects are well done by him and he is well done by them. His connection to the quintessential Americana genre and the rugged lands it calls home is unmistakable. So why is his vast new frontier story, Horizon: An American Saga, such a clumsy slogan? It plays like a limited series adapted into a movie, but more like a rushed rough cut than a ready release for any format.
He joined Cannes the horizon Starring Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Georgia MacPhail, Abe Lee and Was Seif. Costner received support for the film from notable guests including himself JFK Directed by Oliver Stone, Julianne Moore, Michael Yeoh and Isabel Huppert.
As for the future the horizon, Costner concluded his remarks by assuring the crowd that there were three more films to come. The actor said: “This is another miracle in my life. I hope this time is useful for you.
May 19, 1:22 pm: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Universal was handling international rights the horizon.
