Opinion
Hollywood star Kevin Costner thanks God for “allowing” him to make his next western epic Horizon: An American Saga as he releases the first trailer for the four-part post-Civil War drama, which you can check out below.
Costner thanks God after taking a big risk
During a Zoom panel, Costner said he was grateful to God for allowing him to also make the first two films in the four-part series.
“I am terribly satisfied in my life that God has allowed me to get these first two done,” Costner, 68, said, according to Fox News. “I mean, if I get struck by lightning, who knows what happens? At least I went west.
The first Horizon The film will be released on June 28th, while the second will be released in theaters 49 days later, on August 19th. Experts have admitted that Costner is taking big risks with this project.
“This is a dangerous time for him because he is doing what many in Hollywood would consider madness, which is releasing a second movie or two movies,” brand expert Eric Schiffer explained. “This happens in television and streaming, but as far as cinema, you ask people at a time when they don’t usually do that… where they’re used to seeing shows on demand and then going to the movies.”
“He could be facing excruciating pain, having invested tens of millions of dollars…mortgaging his house and taking the risk that, you know, it brings back memories of Water world,” Schiffer also warned, referring to Costner’s infamous 1995 box office bomb.
Related: ‘Yellowstone’ Creator Taylor Sheridan Reveals All About Kevin Costner Leaving the Show
Costner mortgaged his house to make it happen
Costner even mortgaged his massive $50 million oceanfront property in Santa Barbara, California to ensure adequate financing for the project.
“I mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I would build my last home,” he said. “But I did it without thinking. He threw my accountant into a fit of connivance. But it’s my life and I believe in the idea and the story.”
Costner made these films at a difficult time in his personal life, as he spent much of the past year in a divorce battle with his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, to whom he was married for 18 years. In court documents, Baumgartner’s lawyers said Costner expected to get a “cascade” of funds from Horizon after its initial investments.
“Kevin’s total compensation for acting, producing and directing on Horizon 1 is approximately $12,000,000, and for Horizon 2 is approximately $12,000,000, most of which he has voluntarily deferred,” it reads in documents. “Kevin estimates that this money will ‘trickle down’ to him starting at the end of next year. Kevin also has a profit share in Horizon 1 and 2, which is another source of income.”
Related: Kevin Costner ‘Grateful’ to Attend Golden Globes After Bitter Divorce Battle
The expert predicts Horizon Success
Despite the risks, other experts have high hopes Horizon. Brand expert Doug Eldridge believes the film series will do “incredibly well” and that Costner will be “smart to seize the opening” to fill the void left by his exit from the beloved Western television series “Yellowstone.”
“Every story has two sides, and Costner is making a genuine effort to represent both elements of the story, bolstered by a deep, first-rate cast and a renewed national hunger for patriotic, Western cinema,” Eldridge said. “His timing, tone and talent couldn’t be better. Get ready for huge success.”
Costner famously invested his own money to finance the 1990 film Dance with wolves, which earned him two Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture and a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Only time will tell whether the risks he took Horizon repay in a similar way!
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