The first installment of Kevin Costner’s upcoming four-part epic Western titled Horizon: An American Saga, was officially given a rating by the Motion Picture Association (MPAA).
Since 2018, most of actor Kevin Costner’s time has been taken up by Paramount Network’s modern-day Western drama called Yellowstone, a show in which he is the lead star.
Ironically, however, Costner and his upcoming film, Horizon, were both partially responsible for Yellowstone getting canceled after five seasons. Costner reportedly only wanted to dedicate one week of filming to Season 5 Part 2 of Yellowstone (which still hasn’t been filmed because of the Hollywood strikes) so that he could focus most of his time on Horizon.
The first two parts of Horizon were already filmed and are scheduled to hit theaters on June 28, 2024, and August 16, 2024, respectively. The final two installments will begin production once the actors’ strike is over.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon’s Official Rating
According to Film Ratings, Kevin Costner’s upcoming Western epic film, Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
This rating comes as no surprise considering the film will be dealing with brutal historical events such as the Civil War, and since Costner has been a part of other mature Western projects such as Yellowstone (TV-MA) and Open Range (R).
The MPAA gave Horizon Chapter 1 an R-rating due to “violence, some nudity and sexuality.”
As far as the reasonings for the R-rating go, the upcoming movie sounds as though it will feature a lot of the same mature topics as Yellowstone, as that show also contains quite a bit of violence and sexual content.
Throughout Yellowstone’s five seasons, there are only less than a handful of scenes containing nudity, so even though it is still technically in the show, it will more than likely be more prominent in Horizon.
What is surprising about Horizon’s rating, however, is that it doesn’t include any mention of “language” or “strong language,” which is a major change from Yellowstone.
It is still possible, and even likely that Horizon will feature some coarse language throughout, but it is equally as likely that it will not be as severe as in Yellowstone.
What is the Difference Between Yellowstone and Horizon?
Two epic Western dramas that are both led by Kevin Costner and contain “violence, some nudity and sexuality” probably have some movie and TV fans scratching their heads wondering what the differences between the two titles are.
From the outside, they do sound fairly similar, but in reality, the two projects could not be more different.
First off, Yellowstone is a series completely centered around a family that has owned a ranch near the Yellowstone area of Montana for more than 100 years, while Horizon is going to explore the early days of the western part of America before and after the American Civil War.
It is also worth mentioning that a large portion of Yellowstone’s drama doesn’t come from its Western elements at all, but rather from the political battles that take place throughout each season.
It is safe to assume that politics won’t play nearly as big of a role in Horizon as they do in Yellowstone, and fans can probably expect to see a bit more fighting, action, and the Wild West when watching Horizon.
However, as mentioned above, both projects are going to likely almost mirror each other in terms of maturity and tone. Yellowstone is definitely not a show aimed toward children due to not only its content but also its themes, and Horizon will probably be the same way seeing as how it will feature war and the impact of war so heavily.
