Kevin Costner and the production of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 are being sued by a stunt performer for carrying out an unscripted Sєxual ᴀssault scene. A few years ago, Costner announced the creation of the Horizon series, which would be a new chronicle of Western genre films. The first two movies were originally supposed to be released two months apart last summer. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 came out late last June, but it ended up being such a box-office flop in theaters. As a result, the distributor yanked Horizon 2 from the schedule.

The Hollywood Reporter is now reporting that a Horizon 2 stunt performer, Devyn LaBella, has sued the team. She claims that in May 2023, she was made to film an unscripted and graphic rape scene without proper notice. She also did not give her consent and says the Horizon 2 set did not have an intimacy coordinator present, as was contractually mandated. She is now suing Costner and the production companies for Sєxual discrimination, harᴀssment, and the creation of a hostile work environment. Her statement can be found below:

“On that day, I was left exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism. What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry.”

In response to LaBella’s statement, Costner’s attorney, Marty Singer, stated that the director “always wants to make sure that everyone is comfortable working on his films and takes safety on set very seriously.” He then said the following (via Variety):

“However, this claim by Devyn LaBella has absolutely no merit, and it is completely contradicted by her own actions – and the facts. Ms. LaBella is a serial accuser of people in the entertainment industry and has worked with the same lawyer on past claims. But those shakedown tactics won’t work in this case.”

What This Means For The Horizon Movies

This Is Not The First Legal Battle Horizon Has Faced

This is not the first time that the Horizon movies have faced legal trouble. Earlier this month, New Line Cinema filed an arbitration claim against Kevin Costner and his company. New Line said that the Horizon team breached the deal of their co-financing agreement. In a convoluted loan situation, City National Bank had filed arbitration claims against both New Line and Horizon Series, but New Line had then made a crossclaim against the Costner company, saying that the partner did not pay its portion.

As for the latest claim, LaBella was hired to be a stunt performer for Ella Hunt, whose role required a mandatory intimacy coordinator. The lawsuit notes that after negotiations, Hunt’s contract mandated that an intimacy coordinator be used in all ɴuᴅᴇ or intimate scenes. In theory, these specifications should also have applied to LaBella as her stunt double. On the filming of May 1, 2023, an intimacy coordinator was used, and everything was above board. But the next day, when non-intimate scenes were scheduled, LaBella learned that Costner had added an unscripted Sєxually violent scene with a different actor and no intimacy team.

As reported by THR, the claim also alleges that LaBelle faced retaliation after she disclosed the incident to several stunt coordinators and the movie’s intimacy coordinator. Although she received some apologies from colleagues, the stunt performer was not called back for any future filming for Horizon, while the stunt coordinator has not hired her again, despite previously working together on other projects. On the other hand, Singer argues these claims that she filed a complaint, saying, “she was in good spirits and made no complaints to them” while attending a dinner the night after the scene was filmed.

Our Take On The Horizon Legal Claim

This Is Troubling In The Ongoing Intimacy Coordinator Conversation

The latest Horizon lawsuit once again raises the conversation about the use of intimacy coordinators in Hollywood. This practice was implemented following the rise of the #MeToo movement, and since then, there has been more emphasis on the safety and comfort of performers when it comes to acting in these scenes, both intimate and non-intimate. A decade ago, having such a role was not common practice on set. Series like Sєx Education helped to amend this and make intimacy coordination more industry standard. Still, it has not been without debate, as actors and directors have strong opinions on their necessity on set.

Source: THR, Variety