“That’s probably not great business advice”: Kevin Costner is Breaking His Own Rule for Horizon Saga That He Flat Out Refused for His Oscar Winning Western

Kevin Costner would often like to imagine himself as a one-man army, if possible, who is capable of handling almost every single hurdle and blockade thrown in his direction with utmost precision and decisiveness. This character trait may also be the reason why the Hollywood actor makes choices bold enough to surpass even Quentin Tarantino when it comes to sequel treatment in films.

Where one might look to find Kill Bill Vol. 2, Jaws 2, and Back to the Future Part II, Kevin Costner stands firm on the prospect of sequels insomuch that he would not even dare to touch his Oscar-winning property, Dances With Wolves, that he himself directed, produced, and starred in.

In hindsight, perhaps sticking by this one rule has made Costner one of the most substantial and enduring stars to have walked the Hollywood red carpet, even if it has predictably made him an unbearable pain for studios seeking to make a profitable franchise out of his money-making looks.

Kevin Costner Reveals His Career’s One Golden Rule

With one of the most steadfast and durable careers of anyone in Hollywood, Kevin Costner boasts of a life well-lived, both in and out of the spotlight. However, the actor’s peculiar choices and eccentric taste when it comes to picking roles have led him down a path of a few regrettable stains on his otherwise impeccable filmography.

Kevin Costner has refused to make up for a failed project in the past by doubling down on his more successful ones. In a March 2019 interview with Spin1038, the 2-time Oscar-winning director/actor revealed:

“What happens is that I really respect the movies I did and if the sequel is not as good I won’t do it. I need to see the script, because if someone likes The Bodyguard and I make The Bodyguard 2, or Tin Cup 2 or Bull Durham 2 or Dances With Wolves 2 and 3, and they’re not as good, then it’s going to bother me.

That’s probably not great business advice – someone would say, ‘Do it. Do the second one, do the third one – are you nuts?!’ I guess probably I am.”

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Ironically, however, Costner’s famously Most-Expensive-Film-of-the-Time, i.e. Waterworld, could technically be considered a spin-off sequel to Mel Gibson’s Mad Max IP as it was majorly inspired from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. The film was first designed as a Mad Max rip-off and based on the comic strip Mad Max Goes Surfing which was in circulation from November 1983 to April 1985.

Kevin Costner Finds Humor in Sequels 40 Years Later

With sequels filling in all the release slots in Hollywood faster than one can say “Don’t do it,” it comes as no surprise that even someone as determined and stubbornly against sequels would fall prey to its allure 40 years after making his debut in the film industry. However, in Kevin Costner’s words, his next film is not a victim of the sequel treatment but a uniquely framed four-part Western.

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To colleagues and critics, however, the difference is only in the semantics and Costner decided to take advantage of the fact. In his Spin1038 interview, he further added:

“There’s a Western I want to do – it’s four parts. All the same story, and people are going, ‘Oh Kevin, why?’ And I go, ’It’s a sequel.’”

Costner’s prediction which was published 5 years ago finally bore fruit as the actor gets ready to launch his self-financed passion project, Horizon: An American Saga. Designed as a two-part film, the first half, subtitled “Chapter 1” will premiere on June 28, 2024, under the banner of Warner Bros. The $100 million film also marks a return to directing for Kevin Costner who had been tied up with Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone since 2018.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 will premiere on August 16, 2024.