Netflix attempts to buy Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’
It seems as though Kevin Costner is having a hard time with the release of his new movie, Horizon: An American Saga. It is the first installment in the series he has proposed, and it is set to contain at least four movies.
Yet, the first movie has been released to rather poor reception, with most critics giving Horizon a largely negative review. In addition to critical disapproval, the movie has only garnered $29million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $50million.
Despite having a rather impressive cast, with actors such as Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, Sam Worthington and Luke Wilson joining Costner, most people have found the movie too long and lacklustre. The proposed sequels are all set to have a similar run-time of three hours, making the entire series a massive undertaking that just hasn’t attracted the interest or success that Costner has hoped.
As a result, the second instalment, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, has been delayed due to the first movie’s lack of commercial success. A new release date has not yet been announced.
However, it now appears as though Costner is struggling to strike an adequate deal with a streaming service, reportedly turning down an offer to have Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 available on Amazon Prime Instant Video.
According to World Of Reel, Netflix have expressed interest in placing the film on their streaming service, subsequently helping Costner to fund the third and fourth instalments in the ambitious series. The actor/director has previously worked with Netflix after starring in The Highwaymen, helmed by John Lee Hancock, which is exclusive to the platform.
There has been no confirmation as to whether Costner has accepted the deal. If he has, the movie series might lose its intended appeal as one of the era’s most large-scale movie projects – but it seems as though the failure of the first movie has already cemented this.
Costner tried to make Horizon back in the ‘80s, pitching it as a singular film. Yet, he struggled to find enough funding for his project, sitting on the idea for decades as a result. He eventually found the money to make Horizon into a massive series after he (via Deadline) “mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house.”