Kevin Costner will be on hand at SBFF for a post-screening Q&A on February 7.
Call it a series of out-of-town tryouts, and you won’t be far off the mark.
Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2, the second installment of Kevin Costner’s ambitious four-part epic western, was supposed to open in theaters last Aug. 16. But after Chapter 1 failed to attract large audiences and generate rave reviews after its June 28 premiere, Costner’s Territory Pictures and distribution partner New Line Cinema yanked Chapter 2 from the Summer 2024 release schedule, with its new release date be delayed indefinitely.
In July, however, festival director Alberto Barbera announced Chapter 2 would have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the world. Specifically, Barbera explained, Chapter 2 would be shown Sept. 7, after the festival hosted earlier the same day a screening of Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1.
“It is a great pleasure and honor to host the world premiere of the chapter two of Horizon: An American Saga, alongside its chapter one,” Barbera said in a prepared statement. “This late addition to the lineup of the Venice Film Festival pays a heartfelt and respectful tribute to the visionary project of a great actor and director, who invested himself in the epic reconstruction of the years crucial to the founding of [his] country, digging beyond myth in search of authenticity capable of restoring a piece of history in its complex and contradictory reality.”

Costner added in his own statement: “My dream was always to show Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2 at the Venice Film Festival. “The fact that now they have decided to show Chapter 1 earlier in the day and then the world premiere of Chapter 2 that evening shows not only their belief in how the two films work together but their support of a director’s vision. I’m indebted to Alberto Barbera for his courage and leadership in committing to this cinematic journey.”
Chapter 2 reportedly was well-received in Venice, where it was greeted with a standing ovation by the appreciative audience. After that, however, radio silence.
Until now.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced Wednesday that it would host the U.S. premiere of Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2 at 6 pm Friday, February 7.
Taking a page from the Venice Festival playbook, SBIFF will present a free-admission screening of Chapter 1 at 2 pm February 7. Following the 6 pm premiere, Costner will appear on stage for a Q&A moderated by SBIFF executive director Roger Durling.
But wait, there’s more: Beyond the Horizon, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film, will be shown at 8:20 pm on February 13, followed by a Q&A with Costner and Beyond the Horizon director Mark Gillard, moderated by SBIFF programming director Claudia Puig.
Does all this activity mean we’ll finally get to see Horizon 2 on the big screen real soon? Stay tuned for further developments.