One Thing Is Stopping Kevin Costner From Filming 5-Movie Series In Utah

Kevin Costner is set to start production in August for his passion project Horizon. It's expected to be a five-movie series and the Yellowstone actor wants it to be filmed in Utah. But there's one thing stopping production from moving forward.

The Utah Legislature needs to pass SB49.

According to Deseret News, SB49 is a bill sponsored by Senator Ron Winterton that would "exempt rural film productions from the limits on the state's annual tax incentive program." The bill would help bring high-caliber productions to small, rural economies.

"I’ve dreamed for a long time about making my movie in Utah and scouting the state has been an incredible experience. My biggest hope is that the state backs SB49 and that dream becomes a reality. I don’t really want to go anywhere else with these five movies," Costner said in a statement provided to Deseret News.

If the bill is stalled or doesn't get approved, Costner would have to find another state to film Horizon. That's what happened with Yellowstone, anyway.

The majority of the first three seasons of the Emmy Award winning show was filmed in Utah, bringing about $80 million to the state, according to Deseret News. But the requirements set forth by Utah's film incentive program made it difficult to continue. There's a yearly $8.3 million cap and Season 4 of Yellowstone would have gotten a substantially smaller rebate than the years prior.

So, the show moved to Montana, where the cap is now $12 million.

About Horizon

Horizon would be Costner's first time behind the camera since 2003, according to Deadline. He'll star in it, produce it and finance it. Here's what Costner told Deadline about the movie's plot:

"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. 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."

Production is set to begin at the end of August and casting will start in February.