Horizon: An American Saga has been granted a lengthy runtime, but history tells us that this could be a good sign.
WhenKevin Costner left Yellowstoneto completeHorizon: An American Saga— a passion project 30 years in the making — most Costner fans had the same thought: that this had better be worth it.
The latest Horizon news indicates that, above all else, there’ll be plenty of Horizon to watch regardless of how it turns out. From the start, Costner has described the four-partWesternsaga as being around 11 hours in total. Now, in a report from Deadline, the first film is confirmed to bethree hours long.
For newcomers to the genre, or for those who might’ve only dipped their toes in as a result of Costner’s starring role inYellowstone, a historical epic of this scale might cause a rolling of the eyes. But, in reality, the lengthy runtime could signify that something great is coming.
It’s not unusual for Westerns to stand as hours-long odysseys. This is clearly evident in Costner’s own filmography, including Dances With Wolves, which was also three hours — and also happened to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
In one very notable example, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — which is widely considered to be not only one of the greatest Westerns but one of thebest moviesever made — just touches three hours.
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Lengthy adventures are not unusual for the Western format, and if Kevin Costner wants torecreate the success of Dances With Wolves, then he’s on the right track with this one small detail.
For more, check out our guide onhow to watch all the Kevin Costner Westerns, and keep an eye on all the othernew moviescoming your way.
Jessica Cullen is a TV and Movies Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. She’s previously written for The Digital Fix, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, Slate and more. Aside from being the residential Yellowstone expert, she also loves Westerns, ’90s action movies, and true crime. You can email her here: jessica.cullen@dexerto.com.
