Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga is set to clock in at 11 hours over four installments, but Costner’s not too concerned with the runtime.
It’s not unusual for Westerns to have lengthy runs, and this usually par for the course when it comes to the best movies in the genre. Costner’s Dances With Wolves, for instance, has a three-hour runtime (originally a five and a half hour cut), and became one of the most valued modern Westerns, winning seven Academy Awards and is credited with bringing the genre back to life.
As such, Horizon: An American Saga, isn’t looking to be a dainty historical tale. Across the upcoming four-film saga, Costner is more concerned about what helps the final picture rather than what audiences might be able to handle.
In a candid interview with Deadline, he expressed just how much he’s been going back and forth on the runtime, with a definitive statement that proves he doesn’t really care about what people think.
“I focus first on how the movie looks and then I worry about trying to do as much as I can with it,” he said. “I screened this movie at 3:15. First one was 3:52 and at first I didn’t know how to get five minutes out of that. Then I took it to 3:29, then 3:24, then I got it to 3:15. I screened that in Vegas, and then got down to 3:06. I didn’t think it had an inch more to go. Then I dropped beneath three hours. Got to 2:50, now I’m at 2:45, but I’m going to put some back.”
When the interviewer commented on how this seems like the ideal length for the upcoming Civil War drama, Costner replied: “Oh, shut up. I don’t care if you think 2:50 is the perfect length for my movie.”
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With the film set to debut in Cannes this year, Costner is intent on making the final edit as perfect as it can be. As it stands, he’s still experimenting with the final version.
“I’m going to put some stuff back in that I need to put back in, and I’ll see if it works,” he added. “But listen, if I had the same feeling at 2:30 that I have at 2:45, I’d make it 2:30. I get what you’re saying, the hardest part was getting to 2:40. And I was teasing you when I said to be quiet. I do think about all this, because I own it. Would I like a screen time that allowed me an extra show each day? Nobody would like that more than me.”
When it comes to Horizon: Chapter 2, the runtime still isn’t confirmed, with Costner saying: “The second one is not locked. I’m still looking to cut some things.”
For more, find out what we know about Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2, and learn more about the rest of the Yellowstone cast.
