Noted Hollywood director and actor Kevin Costner, along with his crew, currently filming for their upcoming movie Horizon: An American Saga 2, has joined in the local conservation efforts of Native Americans in Southern Utah.

With three sequels already greenlit, Horizon: An American Saga 2, is the beginning of the second chapter that follows the adventures of characters featured in Horizon: An American Saga. The franchise is a continuation of the multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west and stars Costner himself, Sam Worthington, Will Patton, and many more.

According to a press statement, for Kevin Costner and his production team, protecting the land of the Native Americans in Southern Utah has now become a priority in the course of working with the natives.

Located in the western United States, Southern Utah is home to some of the most breathtaking and unique national parks in the United States. These include Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Hikers, photographers, and nature lovers from all over the world visit these parks for their unique landscapes, which include towering red rock cliffs, natural arches, slot canyons, and mesmerising rock formations.

Currently being shot in the Greater Zion area in St George, the four-part film series covers 15 years around the American Civil War and the expansion of the West. One of five bands comprising the inter-tribal government of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, the Shivwits Reservation’s Land Resources Manager Travis Duran was quoted saying that the Oscar-winning director and crew treated the land and its people respectfully.

The first part of the movie was shot in and around Moab, Utah, in 2022 after the State Legislature passed Utah’s State Film Production Amendments bill. The bill exempted rural productions from the state’s annual tax incentive program limits. The program requires production companies to use local actors and vendors as much as possible.

“The best thing was working with Kevin’s crew. We’re all working together and they were more active in asking what they should be careful of,” Duran says.

The statement adds that the film crew undertook utmost caution during their shoot and Duran appreciated Costner and his crew for respecting the Native American land. In the event that a plant or particular area on the set required protection, the production team put up warning signs. This prevented people from tripping over them by accident. Costner’s production company also upgraded the area, which included improving & widening of the roads, clearing overgrown brush and more. The improvements on the land will benefit the tribal members in the future and would allow Native American families more access to picnic in the area.

Horizon: An American Saga 2 will bring an estimated USD 90 million into the economy of Washington County, according to Sales Manager Joyce Kelly of the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office.

Costner is producing the film through his Territory Pictures. Production company Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute a New Line Cinema presentation of a Territory Pictures production, the Horizon: An American Saga 2 films in the United States of America. This is the first of a three-part series on the production “Horizon: An American Saga 2” in Utah.

Southern Utah’s unique geographical wonders of red rock formations and serene desert landscapes, the typical Utah tourism hot spots of Zion, Arches and Bryce Canyon National Parks, are known to draw over 5 million visitors annually.