Hollywood icon Kevin Costner has his sights set on the world of horror as he co-writes and stars in a new surfing thriller.
The Waterworld star, 69, will make his grand return to the sea in Headhunters, in which he appears in the lead role.
Fans might be surprised by his latest venture, considering he’s best-known for non-horror roles such as Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, The Bodyguard and his recent TV series Yellowstone.
However, he’s thrown himself into the world of horror by co-writing Headhunters alongside Steven Holleran, who will direct.
It Follows and The Pope’s Exorcist star Daniel Zovatto will also star in the film, which promises to be ‘epic and bloody.’
The movie is described as a mix of the ‘kinetic energy of surf culture with the suspense of horror’ starring Costner as Lazer, a washed-up American ex-pat with a mysterious past living in Bali, Indonesia (per The Hollywood Reporter).
On his journey to pioneer a ‘perfect wave’, he recruits a group of surfers led by Bima, a local photographer, to visit an uncharted island, but to their surprise, it is inhabited by an ancient tribe of headhunters who will go to extreme lengths to protect their home.
The synopsis continues: ‘What ensues is an adventure turned survival story of epic and bloody proportions on a tropical island which once seemed to be paradise…but is actually closer to hell.’
The publication reports that Headhunters is currently in the pre-production stage, so an official release date has not been announced.
Scott Steindorff, who is attached to the project with his production company Stone Village Films, described the script as ‘one of the best’ he has seen in his career.
‘For decades, my friend Kevin and I have been searching for the right project to collaborate on,’ he said.
‘This is one of the best scripts I have seen in my career. Kevin is a legendary actor who brings so much depth and charisma to his roles, and has written an iconic horror script with Steve.’
While Costner is better known for his work in western films and TV shows as well as historical epics, the Academy Award-winning actor has, in fact, starred in a horror film before.
In 2009, Costner appeared in Luis Berdejo’s The New Daughter, starring as novelist John James who moves to an infamous house at the centre of a mysterious disappearance.
Headhunters comes after Yellowstone star Costner premiered his epic western Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1 at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The Dances With Wolves actor spent years making his $100million (£76m) flick a reality. with the first part hitting the big screen on June 28.
It was also a family affair for the 69-year-old, who cast his teenage son, Hayes, in one of the roles, beside Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington and Jamie Campbell Bower.
However, the film made just $11m (£8.4m) at the US box office across the opening weekend and around $23.3m (£17.8m) to date worldwide, leading to questions over the future of the remaining projects.
Part 2 was set to be released in August, but its theatrical release was pulled by Warner Bros.
Despite a poor critical reception to the film among everything else, he seemed optimistic about the prospect of future Horizon films, telling Deadline: ‘I don’t know how I’m gonna make [Part 3] right now, but I’m gonna make it.’
He additionally told the publication the first three movies cost him $98m (£75m), and a fourth Horizon film would ‘push him over $100m (£76m).’
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