Following his exit from Yellowstone, Kevin Costner moved on to a different Western project, which premiered in 2024 but is now available on streaming. Costner starred as John Dutton III in the first four and a half seasons of Taylor Sheridan’s popular TV show. However, in between parts 1 and 2 of Yellowstone season 5, news broke that the actor was leaving the series. Given that Costner’s John was the face of the neo-Western drama, his exit came as a big surprise to many.
In the months following the announcement of Costner’s Yellowstone exit, more details regarding why he left emerged. However, many were also concerned with how Sheridan would write John out of the series. The Yellowstone season 5, part 2 premiere revealed John’s fate, and the show was never the same. Perhaps John’s ending was always written in the stars, and Costner’s departure simply accelerated its timeline. Nevertheless, Costner quickly moved on to other projects once he was freed from the neo-Western drama, including his Yellowstone replacement, which can now be found online.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga Is Now Available Online
Part 1 Is On Netflix & Max
Kevin Costner’s first project after Yellowstone was Horizon: An American Saga — an epic Western film series planned to have four parts. It centers around the exploration of the West in the United States before and after the Civil War, its timeline spanning 12 years. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was released in theaters on June 28, 2024, and almost seven months later, the movie is available to stream on Netflix and Max. Unfortunately, Chapter 1 didn’t perform so well in theaters. The film only grossed about $38 million against an estimated $50 million budget, making it a box office failure.
How Costner’s Work On Horizon Relates To Yellowstone (& His Eventual Exit)
Costner Wanted More Time To Work On Horizon
Kevin Costner, who directed and co-wrote the epic Western film series, has been working on Horizon: An American Saga for more than three decades. So, it’s easy to see why the project means so much to him. When Costner’s Yellowstone exit was announced, the actor revealed that his leaving was connected to his work on Horizon: An American Saga. On June 20, 2024, Costner posted a video on his Instagram explaining his departure. He said:
“I want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5B or into the future.”
However, according to Newsweek, there’s more to the story behind Costner leaving Yellowstone. He and Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone‘s co-creator and showrunner) had a falling out when Horizon: An American Saga‘s filming schedule conflicted with production on season 5, part 2 of the neo-Western drama TV show. Rumors about the reasoning behind Costner’s exit continued coming out in the months that followed, including that the actor reportedly was only willing to work for one week on Yellowstone (which Costner’s attorney said was a lie in a statement to Entertainment Tonight).
What’s Next For Costner’s Horizon Franchise?
Part 2 Is Coming In 2025
The second part of Horizon: An American Saga was supposed to be released on August 16, 2024, a couple of months after Chapter 1‘s premiere in June 2024. However, after Chapter 1‘s disappointing box office performance, Chapter 2 was delayed to 2025. As of the writing of this article, the second film doesn’t have a specific theatrical release date, despite its premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2024.
Costner seemingly still plans on following through on making and releasing the other three parts of Horizon: An American Saga. Chapter 2 is already complete while filming Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 is unfinished. Ultimately, the future of Costner’s Yellowstone replacement is unclear, but given Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1‘s underwhelming debut, it’s looking bleak.