After years of playing John Dutton in Western darling Yellowstone, Kevin Costner is ready to make his own epic Western period piece once again according to Deadline. Horizon will be his first directorial turn since the 2003 critical success Open Range and is a bit of a passion project film for the award-winning actor and director, one that hopes to match the scale of his Best Picture-winning magnum opus Dances With Wolves. Casting for the film will start sometime in February.

Horizon takes place at the time of Western expansion, spanning 15 years surrounding the Civil War. It recounts the tale of settlers making their way across America and the dangers that await them in their search for a more prosperous life. It's a premise not that dissimilar to 1883, though instead of watching the Dutton ancestors establishing their famed ranch, it takes a grounded view of everyday settlers and the harrowing choices that need to be made in order to survive the trek out West. Costner described what drew him to the film in a statement to

"America’s expansion into the west was one that was fraught with peril and intrigue from the natural elements, to the interactions with the indigenous peoples who lived on the land, and the determination and at many times ruthlessness of those who sought to settle it," Costner told Deadline. "Horizon tells the story of that journey in an honest and forthcoming way, highlighting the points of view and consequences of the characters' life and death decisions." Costner will also star in the film and handle production and financing through his company Territory Pictures.

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Image Via History

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With Horizon, Costner continues to lead a Western renaissance in entertainment. He and the rest of the Yellowstone cast recently received their first major awards nods for SAG's Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble award, continuing the soap opera's dominant run. The show's Season 4 finale made history, setting high personal watermarks in terms of viewership and rivaling the mammoth numbers of The Walking Dead in its heyday.

There's hardly a better choice to continue the resurgence of the Western as much of Costner's directorial and production CV consists of tales set in the Wild West. Besides Open Range and Dances With Wolves, Costner also headed the much-maligned post-apocalyptic flick The Postman. Production for his new Western passion project begins in Utah on August 29.