Kevin Costner dreamed big with his Horizon movies, but Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2‘s future still hangs in the balance. The films were originally going to start an epic new franchise, which would chronicle stories about the post-Civil War Western expansion in the United States. The first installment was eventually released on June 28, 2024, but its performance was less than stellar. Horizon – Chapter 1 got mixed reviews and was a box office bomb. It ended up making just $38.7 million at the worldwide box office on an estimated budget of $50 million.

The original plan was to release Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 just under two months after the first film. It was once scheduled for August 16, 2024, but the financial failure of the first movie caused it to be pulled from the schedule. Since then, Costner and his team have tried to restore the series through multiple avenues, including releasing Chapter 1 on streaming in order to generate more interest. Almost a year out from when it was originally going to be released, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 remains without an audience.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 Still Doesn’t Have A New Release Date

But It Did Get Shown At A Major Film Festival

Unlike most other sequels, the second installment of the Horizon franchise has been financed and filmed. As such, the only thing standing in the way of it being seen by the public is distribution, whether that be theatrical or on streaming. The biggest reason that Horizon 2‘s future still hangs in the balance is simple: it never got a rescheduled release date. The project was not canceled entirely, but its postponement on the release calendar has become indefinite and increasingly uncertain.

Curiously, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 actually was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2024. A handful of people have seen the movie, but it has still been kept largely hidden from the public. Like the first film, the Rotten Tomatoes score for Chapter 2 reflects mixed reception. Right now, it holds a 54% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes with 13 reviews thus far. In his review of Horizon – Chapter 2, ScreenRant‘s Alex Harrison gave the movie 5 out of 10 stars, writing that “Horizon would’ve benefitted from being a TV series.”

The Horizon Movies Are Currently In A Legal Battle About Financing

This Is Bad For Distribution Prospects

Making matters even more complicated for the Horizon series is the fact that it is currently in the throes of multiple lawsuits, including one that could really make it difficult for the franchise to continue. Earlier in May, it was announced that Horizon was in a legal battle surrounding the film’s financing. The project was originally cofinanced by Horizon Series, Costner’s own loan-out firm, and New Line Cinema. The specifics of this fight are complicated, but its core comes down to the production’s alleged failure to pay back their lender, City National Bank.

The suit was first brought forth by City National Bank, who initiated arbitration proceedings against both financing groups. New Line Cinema did not accept defeat, and they ended up filing a crossclaim against Horizon Series in an attempt to stand up for themselves. Essentially, New Line claims that Costner’s company failed to hold up their end of the deal. At the time of writing, it seems that these legal issues have still not been resolved.

Even with the film’s production finished, there is money involved every step of the way. If Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 did end up releasing theatrically, it would incur the costs of publicity and marketing, for instance. Because of this, it is unlikely that the movie will be released in theaters until the legal issues relating to its finances get cleared up. With the battles having just gone public recently, and with no release date planned as of now, the future of Horizon 2 is increasingly precarious.

Kevin Costner Has Been Sued For A Horizon 2 Unscripted Sєxual ᴀssault Scene

This Could Create Bad PR For The Movie

Unfortunately, the project’s financing is not the only legal battle it has run into this year. Just this week, Horizon 2 stunt performer Devyn LaBella came forward with a lawsuit against Costner and his team. After she was allegedly made to shoot a graphic rape scene on-set without proper notice and without an intimacy coordinator present, LaBella sued the production companies for Sєxual discrimination, harᴀssment, and the creation of a hostile work environment. Costner’s attorney rejects this claim, saying that it has “absolutely no merit.” The timeline of the case proceedings has not been revealed.

While the financing-related lawsuit undeniably creates problems for the movie, this latest case is perhaps even more problematic. Not only will LaBella’s case hold up any further release progress for Horizon – Chapter 2, but it is an abysmally bad look for the production. Intimacy coordinators have been an increasingly relevant topic in Hollywood, and are often considered essential to the on-set safety of actors. Issues like these have been broadly discussed, and thus this Sєxual harᴀssment case may leave a poor taste in the mouths of the public or of potential industry partners.

Will Horizon: Chapter 2 Still Get Released?

Other Movies Have Recovered From Huge Scandals

If this year has shown anything, it is that it is not impossible for a film to still get released after significant backlash and legal issues. Most recently, the Alec Baldwin-led Western drama Rust made headlines in 2021 when a live round inadvertently fired from a prop gun on set, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins’ death triggered a legal battle, delaying the distribution of Rust. Even with these legal concerns and the resulting controversy, it did end up releasing theatrically on May 2, albeit with a more muted arrival.

Horizon 2 could very well follow a similar pattern, receiving U.S. distribution in the face of significant challenges. Its exhibition at Venice is an indicator that it will eventually get released somehow, as Costner and his team are pᴀssionate enough about the project to try to get it seen. That the movie has already been completed does further help its case. However, Rust teaches a critical lesson: the delays caused by these legal battles could be significant, and Horizon is entrenched in not just one, but two major legal battles. These issues will not make the sequel come out any sooner, and could even result in multi-year delays.