After filming parts of his forthcoming Western project, “Horizon: An American Saga,” in southern Utah, Hollywood veteran Kevin Costner is now set to break ground on his film studio in St. George, located about 30 miles outside of Zion National Park.
Called Territory Studios, the movie studio will be located on the southeast side of Exit 7 on Southern Parkway, near the St. George Regional Airport, according to Mr. Heppler.
It will comprise 70,000 square feet of sound stage, 51,000 square feet of production warehouses, and 31,750 square feet of production offices. It will also have a Kevin Costner-themed restaurant and catering available on-site.
“They'll even have a lot area that will ... have tours for the public so they can see as the sets come and go and new movies come in and out,” Mr. Heppler said.
Territory Film Studios
Mr. Costner, 69, tapped southern Utah developer Brett Burgess, president of Development Solutions Group, Inc., to assist with the new film studio.Joyce Kelly, sales manager for the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office, told The Epoch Times via email that Territory Studios would be a “great addition to Southern Utah’s growing film industry.”
“This industry not only provides jobs in the film sector but also offers employment in a wide span of professions, including retail, food, lodging, and services,” Ms. Kelly explained.
“It also offers an employment path for over 4,000 film students currently enrolled in higher education throughout our state,” she continued.
‘Horizon: An American Saga’
The development of Mr. Costner’s new film studio this summer will coincide with the release of the first two installments of his Western epic, “Horizon: An American Saga,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. The first chapter is set to be released on Jun. 28, followed by the second chapter on Aug. 16, per a press release.The “multi-faceted” saga will explore “the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West.” The films were a passion project for Mr. Costner, who has been a stalwart in the Western genre, starring in an array of movies centered on the Great West, such as “Silverado” (1985), “Dances with Wolves” (1990), “Wyatt Earp” (1994), “Open Range” (2003), and the television series “Yellowstone.” In 2023, it was reported that the actor would leave the show due to scheduling conflicts, per Men’s Health.
Mr. Costner directed and produced “Horizon: An American Saga.” The Academy Award-winning actor also stars in the films alongside an ensemble cast that includes Sienna Miller (“American Woman”), Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), Jena Malone (“Donnie Darko”), Giovanni Ribisi (“Boiler Room”), Owen Crow Shoe (“The Revenant”), and Tatanka Means (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), among others.
In a 2022 interview with People, Mr. Costner said the project was “incredibly meaningful to him” but was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I wrapped this first one, and it took everything I had,” he said. “But I’m holding on to the rope and not letting go. In my career, I’ve tried to choose not based on what was popular. I made the films I wanted to make.”
The actor-director also revealed during a Deadline interview that he helped fund the project, even reportedly going so far as to take out a mortgage on his 10-acre Santa Barbara oceanfront home. “[I] did it without a thought,” he said. “It has thrown my accountant into a ... conniption fit. But it’s my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.”
“Horizon” was originally scheduled to run in four installments, per The Economic Times. Whether or not the additional two films will ensue has not been confirmed. However, Fox Business reported Mr. Costner would return to St. George to film the final two installments.
