Kevin Costner Doubles Down: The Quest to Fund Horizon: Chapter 3

Rocky opening or not, Kevin Costner is still hustling to bankroll Horizon: Chapter 3 and bring his saga’s final two chapters to life.

Kevin Costner is still trying to drag his frontier epic across the finish line. Chapter 2 is finished but benched, Chapter 3 is half-baked and needs cash, and Chapter 4 is still a gleam in his eye. If you lost the plot somewhere between box office headlines and festival buzz, here is where Horizon actually stands.

Chapter 2: Finished... and shelved

Costner completed Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2, and it is essentially sitting in Warner Bros. storage. Chapter 1 cratered at the box office, and the sequel, originally dated for August 2024, quietly vanished from the release calendar. The industry scuttlebutt has been that Warner Bros., which is only the distributor here, wasn’t going to bankroll the marketing campaign for a second go-round. Costner supposedly pulled Chapter 2 with the hope that Chapter 1 would eventually find an audience on streaming and set up a later theatrical rollout.

Despite the pause, Chapter 2 did play the Venice Film Festival and the Santa Barbara Film Festival and got genuinely warm notices from those crowds. Still no theatrical plan, though.

Chapters 3 and 4: Costner is not letting go

The Hollywood Reporter says Costner is actively trying to fund the unfinished Chapter 3 and still intends to make a fourth film. He has been blunt about the need for fresh money, and yes, he is absolutely shaking the couch cushions of the ultra-wealthy.

'I need some more money - I do. I need some of these big billionaires, with fucking boats from here to here who are fond of telling people they’re billionaires, to come with me and make a movie. I don’t have the money they have, and I’ve already made two of 'em. Where are you rich guys?'

The Riyadh detour

Last year, Costner traveled to Riyadh to accept a lifetime achievement honor at Saudi Arabia’s Joy Awards. On stage, he praised the country’s push into entertainment and encouraged them to back their own stories, calling them emotional, universal, and historical. While he was there, he also met with senior Saudi officials and pitched financing for the remaining Horizon chapters.

Per THR, two sources say Saudi backers were open to investing something, just not at the level Costner was seeking. No deal was made. Costner’s spokesperson confirmed the talks happened but described them as cursory, not a full-blown negotiation.

Money and legal headaches

Multiple lawsuits have popped up over unpaid fees, which suggests the movie’s financing web has been more tangled than anyone would like. On top of that, a stunt performer has sued, alleging she was directed to film a rape scene without proper safety measures; Costner denies the claim.

So what happens next?

Costner is still hunting for funding to finish Chapter 3, Chapter 2 is in limbo despite solid festival reactions, and Chapter 4 remains a target. It is a messy, very inside-baseball situation: a self-financed passion project that hit a wall at the multiplex, found some festival love, and now needs deep-pocketed partners to keep the wagon train moving.

• Chapter 1 underperforms in theaters.
• Chapter 2, initially set for August 2024, is pulled from release.
• Chapter 2 screens at Venice and Santa Barbara to positive responses, but no new release date.
• THR reports Costner is seeking funds to complete Chapter 3 and still plans Chapter 4.
• Costner courts Saudi investment in Riyadh; talks happen, money does not.
• Lawsuits over unpaid fees surface; separate stuntwoman suit alleges unsafe conditions for a rape scene, which Costner denies.

Bottom line: the Horizon saga is not dead. It is just waiting on someone with a very large checkbook to believe in the next chapter.