Kevin Costner Horizon Franchise Faces Legal Dispute Over Financing

Kevin Costner's passion project, the "Horizon: An American Saga" film series, has faced significant financial and legal challenges after the first installment severely underperformed at the box office, grossing only about $11 million in its opening week against a $100 million budget. Costner reportedly mortgaged personal property to finance the project, which was planned as a four-part series, but the poor reception led to delays and uncertainty surrounding the release of Chapter 2 and the filming of subsequent chapters. The financial fallout has escalated into legal disputes involving City National Bank, New Line Cinema, and Costner's production entity, Horizon Series, centered on unpaid financing obligations and co-financing agreements. City National Bank has filed arbitration claims against both New Line and Horizon Series, while New Line claims it covered its financial share and has filed a crossclaim seeking repayment from Horizon Series. These disputes have stalled the release of Chapter 2, which remains unreleased and caught in limbo despite having premiered at film festivals. The situation exemplifies the risks of large-scale passion projects in filmmaking, especially when facing commercial failure and complex financing entanglements.