Kevin Costner Has ‘Knocked On Every Boat In Cannes’ To Get Money For More ‘Horizon’ Movies And Grew Teary-Eyed During His Standing Ovation

Nobody (except for Taylor Sheridan, presumably) knows how Kevin Costner’s dramatic Yellowstone write-off will go down onscreen. Costner recently opened up about being irked at being blamed for his departure by “those f*cking guys,” but he has mainly been focused upon reigniting his feature-film directing career beginning with Horizon: An American Saga (the first part premiered at Cannes over the weekend).

Actually, there are already two parts for Horizon that will release this year in theaters. Costner stars in these movies as well, along with Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, and more. And the Dances With Wolves helmer wants to make four parts — not too surprising that the guy who made Waterworld doesn’t want to go small — but he’s not entirely sure that he will even finish the third movie, at least not without more money. As Deadline notes, he’s spent much of his time in Cannes attempting to secure more funding:

“I don’t know why it’s so hard to get people to believe in the movie I wanted to make. I don’t think anybody’s else’s movie is better than mine. I made it for people. It’s a pattern that happens with me … the things I want to make are harder to make … I’m trying to make the third one. I knocked on every boat in Cannes to help me. The guys say, ‘C’mon, we’ll get a picture.’ I said. ‘No, get your checkbook out.’”

He further added, “I use to get no money to do this, then I got paid a lot of money to do this, now I need to pay my own money to do this.” In the below video clip, you can year the above remarks and Costner’s promise that he will mortgage all four of his homes if need be. He has already done so with his ranch to make the first two films and vowed “to go as far as my money takes me.”

Here’s Costner growing weepy during a Cannes standing ovation (the film premiered out of competition) that lasted at least seven minutes.

From the Horizon synopsis:

Horizon: An American Saga explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won – and lost – through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

Horizon‘s first two parts are being distributed by Warner Bros on June 28 and August 16.