The Western has been overdue for a resurgence in the past two decades that never seems to come. “True Grit” grossed $250 million in 2010. “Django Unchained” grossed $426 million in 2012. “Deadwood” is one of the most acclaimed television shows in history. “Yellowstone” and its spin-offs are extremely successful, and 2018’s “Red Dead Redemption 2” remains one of the most successful video games of all time with a gross revenue of $1.38 billion and 23 million copies sold. Additionally, conservative artist George Alexopoulos self-fundraised nearly $348,000 for his new graphic novel, Ghost of the Badlands.
Yet the resurgence never seems to come. Western films mostly remain a curiosity for auteur directors like the Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Jane Campion, when it isn’t restrained to Turner Classic Movies reruns.
The notable exception to this is Kevin Costner, whose passion for the genre has led the man to take wild risks in self-financing his own Westerns. In 1990, he self-funded $3 million toward the budget of “Dances with Wolves” and walked away with blockbuster success. Costner did this again for 2003’s “Open Range,” though to less critical acclaim.
Now Costner has gambled his financial security on the largest risk of his career, putting $38 million of his own money into producing a four-part, 12-hour epic, “Horizon: An American Saga.” It is an ambitious project that he’s been trying to direct and produce for decades, but risk-averse studios were too afraid to touch it. In his own words, he’s “terribly satisfied
