Part two of Kevin Coster‘s Horizon: An American Saga will premiere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter Two, directed by and starring the Oscar-winning actor, boasts a star-studded supporting cast of Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone and Danny Huston. It is set to get its world premiere in the out-of-competition section in Venice on Sept. 7.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One will also be screened on the same day after the film received a 10-minute standing ovation in Cannes in May – though critics soon piled on Costner’s Western epic. Horizon was the first film in writer-director-star Costner’s four-picture gamble that he famously leveraged one of his homes to help finance (spending $38 million out of pocket). Chapter One is three hours and is largely focused on setting the stage — introducing a sprawling ensemble of characters.
Costner said: “My dream was always to show Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter Two at the Venice Film Festival. The fact that now they have decided to show Chapter One earlier in the day and then the World Premiere of Chapter Two that evening shows not only their belief in how the two films work together but their support of a director’s vision.”
“I’m indebted to [Venice Film Fest director] Alberto Barbera for his courage and leadership in committing to this cinematic journey. It is with gratitude and excitement that I return to the Venice Film Festival. Long live the movies and those willing to stand for them.”
The films, from New Line Cinemas, are cover the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. It is co-written by Costner and Jon Baird (The Explorers Guild), and produced through his Territory Pictures.