CNN
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The next film in Kevin Costner’s ambitious western movie franchise has been postponed.
The sequel to the currently-in-theaters “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” was scheduled to be released in theaters on August 16, but a spokesperson for production company New Line Cinema confirmed to CNN Wednesday that that is no longer the case.
According to the spokesperson, the reasoning behind the pull is “to give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of ‘Horizon’ over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and (streaming platform) MAX.”
”We thank our exhibition partners for their continued support as moviegoers across the US discover the film in its theatrical run.”
“Horizon: An American Saga” debuted in theaters on June 28 and is distributed by Warner Bros., which like CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery. To date, the film has grossed under $23.5 million worldwide.
The planned multi-film franchise is a passion project for Costner, who co-wrote, produced, directed and co-stars in the epic western set around the time of the American Civil War.
In an interview with CNN conducted before the first movie’s release, the Oscar-winner said he’s been trying to get the film made for decades and had no concerns that the running time, or multiple installments, might be a turnoff to those with short attention spans.
“I make movies for people so that they won’t be bored,” Costner said at the time. “I give them a taste of something in a different direction, which is probably why it’s hard for me to get them made at first ‘cause they’re a little different.”
Costner reportedly sunk $38 million of his own money into the project. He confirmed to CNN that he has been filming a third movie in what was a planned four-movie franchise.
