'Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2' sets premiere date after scrapped theater release

Kevin Costner's Western epic "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2" won't be a lonesome cowboy anymore.

The upcoming film, which serves as the second installment in Costner's "Horizon" franchise, will have its U.S. premiere at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the festival revealed on social media Wednesday.

The premiere will take place Feb. 7 at the Arlington Theatre followed by a Q&A with Costner, who directed, co-wrote, co-produced and acted in the film.

The film's debut at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival comes after the "Horizon" sequel's theatrical release — originally scheduled for August 2024 — was canceled, New Line Cinema confirmed to The New York Times and The Associated Press in July.

A spokesperson for New Line Cinema told AP at the time that the release was halted to "give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of 'Horizon' over the coming weeks."

Background: Sequel to Kevin Costner-led 'Horizon: An American Saga' has been canceled

"Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1," which reportedly had a budget of $100 million, was released in June 2024. The Western drama starring Costner alongside Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington grossed $38.7 million worldwide.

A month after its planned theatrical release, "Chapter 2" premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 7, 2024, where it was shown out of competition.

Costner, who first started developing the "Horizon" franchise in 1988, told USA TODAY in a June 2024 interview that the cost of the first two movies required "a lot more" than the $38 million he copped to personally putting down in previous interviews.

"Entrepreneurially, I just figure out a way. Maybe I'm a mongoose playing with a cobra," Costner said at the time. "I'm not a fool, but it feels foolish. I don't honestly know why I do the things I do. I'm not hurting anybody, and it's my intention to bring a solid piece of entertainment."

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Tickets for the "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2" premiere are available for purchase on the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's official website.

Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2' to premiere at film festival