Kevin Costner looking toward Netflix to 'bail him out' of 'Horizon' debt: 'It’s a big check to write'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kevin Costner might finally be catching a break after a long, grueling ride through a financial rollercoaster. 

His ambitious Western epic 'Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One' is finding a second wind on Netflix, climbing the streamer’s coveted Top 10 list. But don’t let that silver lining fool you—behind the scenes, the 'Yellowstone' star is still grappling with a mountain of debt, sleepless nights, and a hefty dose of pride on the line. 

A source close to the 70-year-old Hollywood icon painted a picture of a man who’s weathered the storm but isn’t out of the woods just yet while talking to Life & Style.

"Kevin is good at projecting calm, experience, and a generally level head,” the insider shared. “But behind the scenes, the whole Horizon project has been stressful to him—financially, physically, and even intellectually."

Kevin Costner's passion project burned through millions

When Kevin Costner first envisioned 'Horizon', he dreamed of a sweeping, four-part saga that would redefine the Western genre. But even the best-laid plans can go sideways.

Costner reportedly poured a jaw-dropping $60 million of his own money into the project, only to watch 'Chapter One' struggle at the box office and receive lukewarm reviews from critics.

The reception was so disheartening that the second installment — which had been praised on the film festival circuit — was yanked before it could even hit theaters. To this day, it’s still sitting in limbo without a theatrical release date.

According to the source, even Costner himself isn’t entirely sure what went wrong. He “still doesn’t fully understand why the theatrical release of the first part of the story didn’t connect with most viewers, but he’s pressing forward with the rest of the films and he’s finally got some good news in the form of Chapter One’s excellent showing on Netflix, where it’s landed in the top ten.”

Netflix could be potential savior for Kevin Cotner

With 'Chapter One' racking up views on Netflix, the platform could be Costner’s golden ticket to salvation. “Kevin and his team need it to perform because right now, Netflix is the only company with deep enough pockets to completely bail him out of the hole he’s dug for himself with these movies,” the insider revealed.

The stakes are so high that Costner was reportedly considering selling off chunks of his real estate empire to keep the project afloat. But now, the hope is that Netflix will swoop in, buy the rights to the entire 'Horizon' saga, and give Costner the financial breathing room he so desperately needs.

The insider said the streaming giant is “the only company that can provide Kevin the resources to finish this saga in the next eighteen months without having to cut too many corners.” 

“It’s a big check to write,” the source admitted, “but if the first movie continues to perform well for Netflix’s viewers, the expectation around town—and even within Kevin’s Hollywood circle—is that Netflix will eventually step up and buy the rights to the whole series and take Kevin out of debt."

From 'Yellowstone' glory to streaming redemption

The potential irony of this situation isn’t lost on anyone, least of all Kevin Costner. When he first conceived 'Horizon', it was a streaming series and not a series of big-budget films. But after the runaway success of 'Yellowstone' —both critically and financially—Costner had a change of heart.

Fueled by his newfound momentum, he decided to go all in on 'Horizon' as a theatrical spectacle. Now, after sinking millions into the project, he’s back to square one — praying that the streaming platform he initially envisioned will be the one to save him.

“It was only through the popularity of Yellowstone, and the financial windfall it brought him, that Kevin reconsidered and decided to make this story into big-budget movies. Kevin is in an eight-figure hole on this project and he’s finally got some hope that Netflix will bail him out and expose the films to viewers all over the world. But Horizon has to continue to perform on streaming for that to happen," the insider concluded.