With the release of Horizon: An American Saga 2 – Chapter 2 and future sequels still up in the air, Kevin Costner’s upcoming Western miniseries The Gray House might be the closest we get to them. The list of Kevin Costner movie Westerns is small, but it’s filled with greats, including Dances with Wolves and the grossly underrated Open Range.
Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga movies are a real pet project for Costner, though the concept began as only one film back in the 1980s. Costner exited Yellowstone under contentious circumstances and invested millions of his own fortune to get the first two Horizon movies produced, and the star/director is determined that they will be theatrical experiences.
Sadly, Chapter 1 was a bomb in 2024, with the planned release of the second film only months later being canned. While Chapter 2 is complete and has screened at film festivals, its release has been delayed for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, Costner will produce the historical miniseries The Gray House.
The Gray House Might Have To Be Kevin Costner’s Stand-In For Horizon’s Sequels
Costner won’t actually play a role in The Gray House, which is a curious mix of Western and spy thriller. Inspired by the true story, it follows a group of women who created a spy network designed to infiltrate the Confederacy during the Civil War. Headlining the show are Mary-Louise Parker, Daisy Head and Amethyst Davis.
The concept alone sets it apart from just about every other Western film or TV series. While it will no doubt have some action, The Gray House sounds like an espionage thriller rather than another story about noble cowboys righting wrongs.
The Civil War setting is also notable, since both The Gray House and Horizon use this conflict as a background. Costner might only be acting as producer, but he’s not one to sit back and collect a cheque without making a creative contribution. In fact, Costner might use the miniseries to explore themes he wanted to with the Horizon saga.
Costner wanted his Western opus to chart a key stage in America’s evolution as a nation. He showed the bloody growing pains of the United States, and the ugliness and violence involved. Similarly, The Gray House will explore the complexities of a nation at war with itself and how this shaped its identity.
Why Horizon: An American Saga 2 – Chapter 2 Hasn’t Released – And Will It?
Word on Horizon: An American Saga 2 – Chapters 2 and 3 have grown distressingly quiet since late 2024. There are no signs of it receiving a release, either theatrically or on streaming. Costner still wants the films to be major cinematic experiences, but the economic reality is that it likely won’t happen.
The good news about the gap between entries is that audiences had time to see and digest the first Horizon, so anticipation for Chapter 2 has only grown. Streamers have likely approached Costner with offers of funding future entries, but after waiting 30-plus years to bring this story to life, he still has his eyes set on the big screen.
While pieces of Chapter 3 have been shot already, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 is already in the can. Its release is in something of a stalemate position at the moment, but it will definitely get released at some point in the future. Whether Costner gets to complete the final two Chapters afterward is another question.
