Kevin Costner’s next major project is going to be a surfing thriller film titled Headhunters.
The Oscar-winning actor, 69, will pivot away from the Western genre after a series of high-profile projects in recent years, including his long-
running role on Yellowstone and his franchise Horizon: An American Saga, which underwhelmed at the box office.
The Dances With Wolves actor-director will star in, produce and co-write the surfing motion picture under his Territory Pictures.
The Waterworld actor has worked on the script with cinematographer Steven Holleran, who will direct the movie ‘based on an idea he originated,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
‘My filmmaking journey got its start in the ocean shooting surf videos in California as a teenager,’ Holleran said, according to the outlet. ‘Twenty years later, Headhunters brings things full circle and connects three life-long passions of mine – surfing, filmmaking, and adventure.’
Costner played the role of John Dutton III during his five-season stint on the series Yellowstone between 2018 to 2022, prior to his controversial departure from the series amid creative differences with creator Taylor Sheridan.
The forthcoming surf film, which also stars Daniel Zovatto, was described by producers as incorporating ‘kinetic energy of surf culture with the suspense of horror,’ THR reported.
Costner plays the role of Lazer, a weary American ex-pat who resides in Bali, Indonesia and partners with a character named Bima to plan toward visiting an uncharted island in chasing down a perfect wave.
‘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,’ a logline for the movie reads.
Pre-production on the film has commenced in Hawaii with production slated to kick off next month, the outlet reported.
An insider told THR that the project has garnered interest from both streaming services and studios seeking rights to distribute the movie.
Producer Scott Steindorff told the outlet in a statement: ‘For decades, my friend Kevin and I have been searching for the right project to collaborate on. This is one of the best scripts I have seen in my career.
‘Kevin is a legendary actor who brings so much depth and charisma to his roles, and has written an iconic horror script with Steve.’
News of Costner’s forthcoming film projects comes a few months after the August theatrical release for the second chapter of his ambitious Western epic Horizon: An American Saga was canceled after the first film fizzled in theaters.
New Line Cinema announced in July that Horizon: Chapter 2 would not hit theaters on August 16 as scheduled. The studio had planned an unusually fast back-to-back release for the two Horizon films, but after the first chapter collected a modest $23 million in its first two weeks in theaters, the distributor pivoted.
The first chapter of Horizon, which debuted in May at the Cannes Film Festival, cost some $100 million to make, making its path to profitability extremely challenging if not impossible.
Costner put some of his own money into it, and had already begun shooting a third installment of what he envisions will ultimately be four movies.
Costner, who directed, co-wrote and co-stars in the films, had been trying to make Horizon for more than 30 years. The ultimate destination of Horizon, he acknowledged, was always going to be on TV.
‘They´re going to break this up into a hundred pieces, you know what I mean?’ said Costner. ‘After four of these, they´re going to have 13, 14 hours of film and they´re going to turn into 25 hours of TV, and they´re going to do whatever they´re going to do.
‘That´s just the way we live in our life but they´ll also exist in this form. And that was important for me, to make sure that happened. And I was the one who paid for it.’
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