Kevin Costner on his saga, “Horizon,” and a possible return to “Yellowstone”

When Frank Sinatra sang “My Way,” he could have been singing about Kevin Costner. The Oscar-winning actor and director is working on his most ambitious project to date – a four-part saga of the American West. And just like Ol’ Blue Eyes, Costner is doing it his way.

“Horizon: An American Saga” is spectacular in every way. There are four parts, each feature-length. And Costner says he has invested his own money – $38 million – in the project (so far). And you can practically see where all the money goes, especially if you pass by one of Costner’s filming locations, like the one he showed in “Sunday Morning” outside Moab, Utah. Around here, it’s not so much a movie set as a time capsule. Every detail is precise, right down to the door handles. “You want to create an environment that is authentic,” he said.

The story is also an authentic one about the attraction of the Old West and the tragedy of the people who lived here first.

Costner said, “These cities weren’t like mushrooms, they didn’t just pop up. They fought for them. This land was contested and it was always an ugly ending for Native Americans, always. And so, those are themes that, although I’m ashamed of it, a little ashamed of how it happened, I’m not afraid to talk about it either.”

He has already finished filming parts one and two, and is currently filming part three, even before the first part premieres. So how is he? “I’m fine. I’m like a wagon heading west too. I’ve just come across everything you can imagine. I have to hold on to the rope, because I made this pact with the public that I’m going to give them something. I want them to go west.

To watch the trailer for *Horizon: An American Saga”, click on the video player below:

Costner’s own story is also quite epic. His directorial debut was in 1990’s “Danças com Wobos”, and he also had to invest his own money in it. When it debuted, The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael called it “childishly naive”, but Costner had the last laugh. The film won best picture and Costner also took home best director.

Costner has made other great films, including “Bull Durham,” “Field of Dreams,” “The Untouchables” and “The Bodyguard.” But it seems he’s always felt comfortable in a cowboy hat. He helped to make “Yellowstone” by Taylor Sheridan a monster hit for CBS parent Paramount, but now it’s over.

Perhaps.

Smith asked, “Did you have to leave ‘Yellowstone’ to complete ‘Horizon’?”

“No,” said Costner. “I did everything I was hired to do with ‘Yellowstone.’

“Would you like to come back?”

“Yes, if I liked the story, where it was going, I would come back,” he replied.

But now he has his sights set on something else. The first part of “Horizon” will be in theaters next week. Part two arrives in August, and parts three and four will be released sometime after that.

So how did the film grow to four parts? “I have not finished!” he laughed. “I mean, as one became four, even I’m like, ‘Really, Kevin?’ But it’s so good now. I really love it.”

Costner said he’s been holding onto this story for three decades — and says his son, Hayes, is a big reason he chose to do it now. “I saw Hayes when I was 13 and said, ‘I have to do this movie,’” he said. “‘I want him in that movie. I’m going to get it.'”

The film’s Cannes premiere last month earned it a standing ovation — and also received some less-than-enthusiastic reviews. But for 69-year-old Kevin Costner, making the film is worth anything and everything.

Asked if he would ever invest his own money in a project again, he replied: “I probably will. In the world of business, of cinema, I don’t think I should do it. But the reality is, if nobody wants it, go fishing with me , I will go anyway.”

“If you have some money,” Smith laughed.

“No. That was cruel!” he laughed. “If I have some money. Another good deal, I’m out of business.

Now he expects crowds to line up, like the fans who got a peek Tuesday at Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas. And he’s still raising money for parts three and four. But, as a famous cowboy once said, courage is being scared to death and still being saddled.

Smith asked, “Is this the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life?”

“It has been and continues to be,” Costner responded. “You know, if I hear the word ‘billionaire’ one more time, I think I’m going to roll over. Because I don’t have that much money. … You know, all these guys, all these scared cats, that’s probably why they have so much, because they’re smart and they stick to it. I really believe in the idea of ​​what this can be.

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Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Mike Levine.