In the wake of Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1’s box office disaster, an Australian epic from 2023 could show Warner Bros. Pictures how to save Kevin Costner’s failed Yellowstone replacement. Costner, who helmed the Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves in 1990, has been working on the script for the Horizon saga since at least 1988. A passion project for the writer, director, actor, and producer, Horizon was originally envisioned as a four-part movie series, with the first two chapters scheduled for a back-to-back release this summer. Unfortunately for Costner, that release plan has changed.
As planned, Horizon’s first chapter hit theaters on June 28th. A few weeks into its release, the film grossed a mere $27 million at the global box office against its $50 million budget. Between mixed reviews from critics and an embarrassing box office draw, Costner’s new Western franchise was doomed, pushing New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures to revisit the series’ release plan. Currently, Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 2 is on an indefinite hold. With its original August release date scrapped, Costner’s vision of a two-part movie event has been dismantled — but there’s still a path forward.
Kevin Costner Should Turn His Horizon Movies Into A Miniseries Like Faraway Downs
Director Baz Luhrmann Reimagined His Movie Australia As A Six-Part Miniseries
During the COVID-19 pandemic, director Baz Luhrmann revisited his 2008 feature-film Australia and discovered heaps of unused footage from the original production. Needing something to work on, Luhrmann decided to recut his epic adventure-romance movie into a six-part limited television series titled Faraway Downs. In both versions of the project, Nicole Kidman stars as Lady Sarah Ashley, a well-to-do English woman who travels to Australia to confront her philandering husband and convince him to sell his failing cattle station, Faraway Downs. When she arrives, Lady Ashley is greeted by a cattle drover (Hugh Jackman).
Between a bloated runtime and a derivative, over-stuffed story, Luhrmann’s labor of love was panned…
Hired by Lord Ashley, The Drover transports Kidman’s character to the titular cattle station, where they discover that her husband has been murdered. Between thwarting the conniving station manager Fletcher (David Wenham); moving the cattle across the treacherous Never Never desert; rescuing Nullah (Brandon Walters) — a boy with an Aboriginal mother and white father — from the deadly missionaries; and showcasing World War II and the impending Japanese attack on Darwin, Australia covers a lot of territory. Between a bloated runtime and a derivative, over-stuffed story, Luhrmann’s labor of love was panned by most critics in 2008.
The 2023 Faraway Downs Miniseries Fixed Some Of Australia’s Biggest Problems
Breaking Australia’s Narrative Into Chapters Was A Smart Choice
The director had originally intended to make the Australian version of Gone with the Wind. As such, Australia’s epic scope and ambitious narrative aren’t necessarily surprising, but that doesn’t mean it all comes together well. While the movie grossed a solid $211.8 million, its production budget was a whopping $130 million — thanks in large part to all the on-location filming. Although Luhrmann had intended to create a cinematic spectacle — and a love letter to sweeping, old-fashioned movies — the filmmaker wisely realized that a serialized version of the project would serve the story better.
Faraway Downs uses each of its episodes to highlight a different element of the story…
Broken into six parts, Faraway Downs uses each of its episodes to highlight a different element of the story — from The Drover and Lady Ashley’s romance to the cattle droving drama to the attack on Darwin. Of course, there are some key differences between Australia and Faraway Downs. While Luhrmann doesn’t do much reordering at all, having the division of episodes makes Faraway Downs much more easily digestible. Additionally, Faraway Downs’ ending is different from Australia’s, with Luhrmann leaning more heavily into the tragedy that often accompanies epic films. Most importantly, Faraway Downs breathed new life into the story.
Horizon Chapter 2’s Box Office Odds Don’t Look Good
Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1 Already Bombed At The Box Office
After an abysmal box office performance, Kevin Costner’s ambitious Horizon will likely struggle to gain momentum for its upcoming sequels. Like Luhrmann’s Australia being re-edited into the serialized Faraway Downs, Costner’s American epic could benefit from reinvention. At this point, it’s hard to imagine that even video-on-demand (VOD) could boost Horizon’s profile. Horizon: An American Saga 2’s massive release change reiterates that the films’ distributor isn’t sure how to navigate future installments of the multipart film series. Still, there’s no getting around the elephant in the room: Costner’s Horizon saga misstep is a costly one.
…it’s the epic promise of the Horizon franchise that makes Chapter 1 ‘s failure more deeply felt.
Previously, the director and actor’s Dances with Wolves grossed a staggering $424.2 million at the box office. While his other projects have fallen short of that — and while Kevin Costner’s new Western avoids a horrible record — it’s the epic promise of the Horizon franchise that makes Chapter 1’s failure more deeply felt. At the same time, Rotten Tomatoes scores show Horizon divided audiences and critics, which means it isn’t quite over yet. While viewers were less harsh on Costner’s passion project, it also seems like many are waiting for the 181-minute movie to hit streaming.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon Movies Could Become An Epic TV Event After Yellowstone Season 5
The Filmmaker’s Vision For A Two-Part Summer Movie Event Won’t Happen
While Costner’s vision for a two-part summer movie event isn’t happening, the Horizon saga could find new life — and a more dedicated audience — if it’s re-cut into a TV series, à la Faraway Downs. Currently, Chapter 2 is in post-production and principal photography on Chapter 3 is well underway. Even Horizon’s fourth chapter is already in development. Although anything is possible, it seems unlikely that Costner’s four-part Western will get the Batgirl treatment. That said, Horizon could become an epic television event instead, especially in the wake of Yellowstone season 5, part 2’s finale.
…the [Horizon saga] project could fare better with viewers and critics alike [if it’s re-cut as a TV series].
Due in part to Horizon scheduling conflicts, Costner is not returning to Yellowstone as John Dutton in the series’ final episodes. For many, Horizon was always intended to be a kind of Yellowstone replacement — another Costner-led Western. By recutting the existing Horizon chapters into seasons of television, the project could fare better with viewers and critics alike. Not to mention, one of the biggest complaints about Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1’s ending was that it doesn’t provide much resolution. If the Horizon saga becomes a TV series instead, its many parts wouldn’t need to work as standalone stories.