Kevin Costner Thanks ‘Those Willing to Stand' for Movies as Horizon 2 Gets Venice Premiere After Being Pulled from Release Date

Kevin Costner fans will still have an opportunity to see Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 on the big screen but will have to travel to Italy in September.

After organizers for the 2024 Venice International Film Festival announced plans to screen the second part of Costner’s ambitious Western epic, the actor-writer-producer-director thanked "those willing to stand” for the movies on Wednesday, July 31.

“I’m indebted to Alberto Barbera for his courage and leadership in committing to this cinematic journey,” Costner, 69, wrote on Instagram, referring to the festival’s artistic director. “It is with gratitude and excitement that I return to the Venice Film Festival. Long live the movies and those willing to stand for them.”

Chapter 2 will have its world premiere screening on Saturday, Sept. 7, following a screening of the already-released Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 earlier that same day. 

“The fact that now they have decided to show Chapter 1 earlier in the day and then the World Premiere of Chapter 2 that evening shows not only their belief in how the two films work together but their support of a director’s vision,” Costner wrote on Wednesday. He said it was “always” his dream to show the second film in Venice.

New Line Cinema released Chapter 1 to theaters in the U.S. on June 28 and planned for Chapter 2 to hit theaters on Aug. 16. However, after Chapter 1's disappointing box office results, the distributor and Costner’s Territory Pictures agreed to delay Chapter 2 so Chapter 1 could be seen by a wider audience. Chapter 1 was released on demand on July 16 and is expected to hit streaming service Max soon.

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"Kevin made this film for people who love movies and who wanted to go on a journey,” Territory Pictures said in a statement on July 10. “The support that we have received from film fans and the theater owners as they experience the first chapter of this saga only serves to reinforce our belief in them and the films that we have made, and we thank them for coming on board for the ride."

"We welcome the opportunity for that window to be expanded as we know it will only serve to enhance the experience of seeing Horizon 2.”

Horizon tells the sprawling story of several characters living in the American West in the years after the Civil War. Costner, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Baird, stars as gunslinger Hayes Ellison. The all-star cast also features Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, Abbey Lee, Will Patton and Costner’s son Hayes.

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Costner plans to continue the story in two more chapters that are currently in development. He spent $38 million of his own money on the project, which marks the Dances with Wolves filmmaker’s latest big gamble.

“The gamble is ignoring my heart and ignoring it whispering to me,” Costner told PEOPLE in a June cover story. "What I can say is I've had an amazing life. I've been bruised, but I’ve had an amazing life and I'm grateful for that."