“There’s a lot of heaven in Utah,” Kevin Costner told me during our conversation about “Horizon: An America Saga,” the Academy Award winner’s latest project. “There are these places that are just almost indescribable.”
Costner had called me directly. When I answered, I expected to speak to an assistant. But instead I heard one of Hollywood’s most renowned stars say, “Meg, it’s Kevin.” He then described what he loves so much about my state and why he chose to film “Horizon” here.
Costner, 69, is best known for his run of hits in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, including “Field of Dreams,” “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” and “Dances with Wolves,” for which he won Academy Awards for best picture and best director. More recently he starred in Paramount’s hit series “Yellowstone” from 2018-2022 before stepping away to film “Horizon,” which brings the Western back to the West.
The first of four chapters of “Horizon,” which Costner co-wrote, directed, produced and stars in, hit theaters Friday. The second chapter will premier Aug. 14.
The Western epic saga — which took Costner 30 years to write and $38 million of his own money to produce — chronicles the Civil War-era expansion and settlement of the American West set against the stunning backdrop of red-rock mesas. While the locations in the film span Wyoming, New Mexico and Montana, the first two chapters were filmed in Utah, and Costner plans to keep production in the state for Chapters 3 and 4.
Costner told me he felt as though he might hurt his neck the first time he drove through Utah, craning to see all the breathtaking landscapes. “I couldn’t look away,” he said. “I knew the story wanted to be set there. I thought that it would be the best possible thing for the movie,” he added. “There are these wide, open spaces that almost defy imagination. That kind of look is fabulous for a western.”
While “Horizon,” which is rated R, is the latest Western to be filmed in Utah, it’s not the first. “It all started here in Moab with John Ford and John Wayne,” said Bega Metzner, who serves as the commissioner for the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission.
“Stagecoach,” starring Wayne and directed by Ford, launched Wayne’s career, and made Monument Valley the most recognizable Western imagery in cinema.
But it’s been a while since Westerns were the genre du jour in Hollywood, due to the expenses of building a set, the unpopularity of Westerns overseas in an industry that relies heavily on global ticket sales, and America’s changing perception of itself.
Which is part of what makes “Horizon” such a gamble in the eyes of Hollywood prognosticators. “Yellowstone,” which also stars Costner and was filmed in Utah in the first three seasons, has been a hit, but the series features modern day characters and circumstances. “Horizon” is a true period Western, the likes of which moviegoers have not seen since “Dances with Wolves” more than 30 years ago. The Hollywood landscape looks vastly different now than it did then.
“Horizon” arrives at a time when the future of movies and theaters seems uncertain, and especially the future of niche genre productions. It’s been a rough few years in the film industry between the COVID-19 pandemic and the writer and actor strikes, and the film community in Utah has not been spared from the ups and downs. But Costner’s production has been a boon to local communities, and promises to draw attention to the spectacular landscapes and vast resources available in the state. “I believe in the area and how I’ve been treated,” Costner told me.
The economic impact of ‘Horizon’
Part of what made the production of “Horizon” possible was Utah’s film incentive program, which provides a tax credit for money that film producers spend in rural communities. Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission, told me the “Horizon” production team has spent an estimated $120 million in the state since 2022.
On top of the state’s incentive, Washington County, where much of Chapter 2 was filmed, offered an additional incentive to Costner, with the stipulation that he employ talent from local college film programs. Joyce Kelly, sales manager of the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office, said that nearly every college in the state has a film school, and about 4,000 students in Utah are studying film. A thriving film industry would help keep them in the state and provide them with a family-sustaining wage.
Kelly has worked closely with Costner since first meeting with him in 2017. She describes her job with the tourism office as “to put heads in beds.” Costner brought a crew of 400 people to the area, which had a noticeable impact on the area’s economy. When a film crew comes to town, Kelly explained, they stay in local hotels, they eat in local restaurants, they use local resources, and they employ local service providers. “It’s a huge economic impact,” she said, “especially in an off season for us.”
Grand County, where Costner created the anchor location for his films, has also benefited from hosting the “Horizon” team in the area, according to Metzner. “The impact has been massive and very, very positive in so many different realms,” she told me, explaining that production has brought in about $45.7 million to the southeastern area of the state. The crew stays in the area for months on end, and according to Metzner, has become a beloved party of the local community. The crew, in return, loves the community. “It’s an extraordinary place to be on days off, as well as when you’re shooting,” Metzner said. She said the crew enjoyed both the recreational opportunities and the warmth of the people, many of whom worked as extras and crew.
The stunning scenery of “Horizon” includes both red-rock desert, as well as snowy towns. For the more wooded scenery, the crew built an entire village in the La Sal mountains outside Moab. They also built a whole fort along the Colorado River. “It was extraordinary, being able to be part of the process from this bunch of guys, looking at blank slates, tabula rasa fields, then deciding that this was the place that they were going to design and build in their storyline,” Metzner said. “Working through that process with them has just been like an amazing ride.”
Both Kelly and Metzner helped scout locations in their respective areas that matched Costner’s vision for “Horizon.”
“Kevin doesn’t settle,” Kelly explained, detailing how important it was to find just the right vistas where the story of “Horizon” could unfold. “He knows what he wants. And that’s what he’s after.”
Metzner described a moment when she told one of the members of the scouting team to look left at a completely different view than the one they had been considering, demonstrating the variety of scenery Utah can offer from just one vantage point. “You can continue to come and film here and every day is a different day, every day the light is different, every day the contrast is different, you can turn around and see something in a totally different way,” she explained.
A boost for Utah’s film industry
The only real challenge of filming, Costner told me, was the lack of studio space on days when the weather turned bad. On those days, he worked in an open-air barn, he explained, and added, “The only reason I made it work was because the locations in Utah were worth it.”
But to solve for the lack of indoor shooting space in the region, Costner is now part owner in Territory Film Studios outside Zion National Park. “Now a world-class stage is going to be built,” he said. “Having that facility is really, really important.” Costner and the Development Solutions Group plan to break ground on the studio later this year.
Kelly believes the studio will support not just the forthcoming “Horizon” productions, but projects from other filmmakers for many years to come. “We anticipate many more movies, whether they come from Kevin or someone else,” she said. “It’s going to have an impact, not only for today, but for the future. I think it’s going to help catapult us into the film industry.”
Costner agrees. “It will make people in Utah proud,” he said. “People around the world will wonder, ‘Do places like this really exist?’ The answer is yes.”
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1″ is rated R for violence, sexuality and some nudity.