There’s no denying that the release of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga — Part 1” was a bit of a disaster. The film was not well-received by critics, and the box office was abysmal. Now, the already-filmed sequel has been pulled from the calendar and it’s unclear if he’ll find funding for the final two films in the four-part series. All of that likely added to what Costner has now described as his “most challenging journey.”
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While the first film isn’t as universally beloved as Costner hoped it would be, there are still some fans of it out there. And those folks would probably be the prime target for the new making-of book, “The Great Horizon: Photographing Kevin Costner’s ‘American Saga,’” which is arriving soon. While the book collects a lot of photos from behind the scenes, it also contains a foreword written by Costner (via Indiewire) talking about the creation of the film. And in that foreword, he wrote about how challenging the making of ‘Horizon’ has been for him.
“The making of ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ has been the most challenging journey I’ve ever undertaken,” Costner wrote. “In my heart, I’m a storyteller, and there has arguably been no greater narrative than the arduous journey of men and women from across America in pursuit of a dream. Their dream was passionately fought for, and achieved only by some, and even then, only through the blood, sweat, and tears of many. Tracking those dreams toward the West resulted in the nightmares of the peoples who had lived and thrived there for centuries. This was a story I needed to tell.”
It’s interesting to hear Costner talk about the ‘Horizon’ films. He is forever talking about how he was driven to create this film series, as if it was some message from God. It’s clear he has an intense passion for the story he’s trying to tell. Unfortunately, the business side of Hollywood exists, and no amount of passion is able to finance two parts of a four-part saga. But who knows? Maybe he’ll find the financing to finish his story.
Costner also wrote about America and how the current state of the country is reflected in the making of the first two ‘Horizon’ films.
“In America, now as then, everyone is looking for something — opportunity, vision, belief,” wrote Costner. “The making of the first two chapters of the ‘Horizon’ movie cycle has been a lengthy, onerous journey of opportunity, vision, and belief… And when you sit down in the dark and the movie begins, I hope you too will experience the lure of a dream of the American West and immerse yourself in the compelling stories of those men and women who pursued it and those who were impacted by it.”
If you want to read the entire foreword and see the beautiful photography included in the book, “The Great Horizon: Photographing Kevin Costner’s ‘American Saga’” is available now.
