It’s been quite a tumultuous year in the career of Kevin Costner, who announced his departure from the massively popular TV series Yellowstone, and then saw his ambitious film project Horizon struggle in theaters.
While Costner remains dedicated to completing his four-part western epic, he also just announced an unexpected new movie project — one that trades the American west for a more tropical destination.
Kevin Costner: new film project
Deadline announced that Costner will star in and co-write a new film called Headhunters, to be produced by his Territory Pictures production company.
The Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves filmmaker won’t be directing this time; instead cinematographer Steven Holleran will be taking the helm in his directorial debut. Holleran also originated the idea for the film.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film has been described as a mashup that combines the “kinetic energy of surf culture with the suspense of horror.”
Costner reportedly plays a “washed-up American ex-pat” living in Bali, Indonesia who recruits a group of surfers on a journey to an uncharted island “to pioneer a perfect wave.” However, they find the island is inhabited by an “ancient tribe of headhunters guarding the land at all costs.”
“What ensues is an adventure turned survival story of epic and bloody proportions on a tropical island which once seemed to be paradise…but is actually closer to hell,” the film’s logline reads.
Costner’s struggles on Horizon
The announcement of the new film comes as Costner is struggling to complete his film passion project, the western epic Horizon: An American Saga, which he has planned as a four-part event.
The Field of Dreams star’s ambitions were halted this summer, as Chapter 1 received mixed reviews and failed at the box office, grossing just $29 million in North America and $2.4 million internationally, a bad haul given its reported $100 million budget, $38 million of which was personally financed by Costner.
The second part was supposed to be released in August, however Warner Bros. delayed the release, hoping that the first film would find an audience on their Max, where it began streaming on August 23.
Though Yellowstone fans didn’t flock to the theaters this summer, Horizon fared better among home viewers: it was the #1 movie on the VOD charts (that’s digital rentals on services like iTunes) and was the most-streamed movie on Max after its debut.
While its post-theatrical success might take some of the sting out of its poor box office performance, Horizon still faces an uncertain future. There’s no guarantee that the people who rented Chapter 1 will be eager to go out to the theater for Chapter 2, and no new release date has been set yet.
Then there’s also the matter of finishing the four-part series. Filming has already commenced on Chapter 3, which is set to complete next year, and Costner is determined to get it done despite Chapter 1‘s poor performance.
“I don’t know how I’m gonna make [Chapter 3] right now, but I’m gonna make it,” he recently told reporters at the Venice Film Festival.
Is Headhunters a good move for Costner?
Headhunters certainly sounds different than Yellowstone and Horizon, putting Costner in a totally new setting and genre. But there are many reasons this pivot could be a good move for Costner’s career.
For one, he’s been working in the western genre for a while now: Yellowstone is a contemporary neo-western and Horizon is set in the Old West. While it’s clearly a genre Costner thrives in and loves, it could be good for him to explore other genres.
Costner became a major star in his heyday by headlining all kinds of films — rom-coms like Bull Durham, political thrillers like JFK, romantic dramas like The Bodyguard — so it could be good to see him flex his range a bit.
Beyond that, Costner, who between Horizon and his recent divorce has probably taken a bit of a financial hit, might need a box office success, and horror-thrillers like Headhunters often do better than westerns.
Plus, Costner is coming off writing, directing, producing and starring in the four Horizon films, which is no doubt exhausting. It might be good for him to hand the director’s chair to someone else for a bit and focus on his acting.
It remains to be seen whether Headhunters will be good or bad, but it’s certainly an interesting next move for Kevin Costner.
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