Kevin Costner has been sued for failing to pay for costume rentals used to make his film Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.
Western Costume, a Hollywood costume rental company, filed a lawsuit on Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Costner and his production banner Territory Pictures for breach of contract (via People). The lawsuit seeks restitution for unpaid costume fees and alleged damage to some of the items.
In the suit, Western Costume points to an invoice from 2024 for more than $134,000 in costume rentals. According to the lawsuit, the film’s production “did not pay the agreed upon rate for the costumes and failed to return the costumes undamaged.”
The lawsuit seeks more than $350,000 in damages, including the $134,256.82 in unpaid costume rentals and $150,000 in economic damages. Western Costume is also asking for $200,000 in attorney’s fees and $40,000 in accrued interest on the bills. The company is seeking an additional $100,000 in punitive damages.
Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2 is a sequel to 2024’s Horizon: An American Saga, which starred Costner alongside Sienna Miller and Giovanni Ribisi. The release of the second film was postponed after the first disappointed at the box office, pulling in a reported $11 million. Chapter 2 screened at the Venice International Film Festival in September, but has yet to get an official release date.
Financial and legal troubles have plagued Costner during the production of the Horizon series. In May, a stunt performer on Chapter 2, Devyn LaBella, sued Costner over an alleged unscripted rape scene. LaBella is sued the production companies and Costner for sexual discrimination, harassment, and creating a hostile work environment. She also alleged that she faced retaliation after reporting the incident, as she claimed she was not called back for further work on the film series, nor by the stunt coordinator who had hired her before.
In October, a judge ruled that LaBella could proceed with eight of the 10 claims in lawsuit against Costner. Costner had previously asked the court to dismiss the entire lawsuit. He claimed the movie is an expressive work, protected by the First Amendment, and that the stuntwoman, Devyn LaBella, had failed to adequately allege that the scene in question was added without proper notice or appropriate safeguard measures. After hearing arguments for nearly an hour, the judge mostly sided with LaBella, finding that she deserves more time to conduct discovery and continue pursuing her claims.
Despite the legal hurdles, Costner has continued to seek funding to finish the film series. Last year, he met with top Saudi officials and pitched them on financing the third and fourth installments, although no deal was made, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The third film remains in limbo.
