Warner Bros. PicturesKevin Costner may be known as the king of modern Westerns, but he once almost prevented one of the greatest movies in the genre from going ahead.
Costner may be busy right now trying to get the rest of his Horizon: An American Saga series off the ground, but decades ago, he was obsessed with another story: Wyatt Earp.
Of course, he went on to make his own drama movie about the famous lawman in 1994. However, before this, he was initially offered the role of the figure in 1993’s Tombstone.
These days, we know Tombstone to be the Kurt Russell-Val Kilmer action movie, with no Costner in sight. Well, this tiny period of Western moviemaking history is steeped in plotting and drama, and it all has to do with Costner’s commitment to Earp.
Kevin Costner was initially offered Tombstone role
Before a Wyatt Earp solo movie had been planned, Costner had been offered the same role in Tombstone (which would later go to Kurt Russell). Rather than starring in an ensemble piece, Costner opted to make a solo project about Earp instead.
Warner Bros.At this point, Costner had already cemented himself as a powerful figure in the genre thanks to the success of Dances with Wolves in 1990. As such, all eyes were on Wyatt Earp, and it was assumed that if one of those movies was to fail, it would be Tombstone.
Wyatt Earp producer Jim Wilson was even quoted as saying, “Because of the asinine mentality in this town, they won’t let two pictures about Earp go forward. If I were a gambling man, I’d bet Tombstone doesn’t go ahead.”
Costner took all the Western costumes around
The war was on. Both movies had Wyatt Earp in the lead, and both focused on the same events, including the famous O.K. Corral gunfight. In short, this town wasn’t big enough for the both of them.
Both productions took place around the same time, which resulted in new problems. According to reports, Costner had secured the majority of Western costumes in Hollywood, meaning Russell (who was, for all intents and purposes, directing Tombstone), had to think outside the box.
Buena VistaCostume designer Joseph Porro later said, “It made it really, really tough. There wasn’t even a cowboy hat left [to rent] anywhere at any of the studios.”
As a result, they ended up sourcing from Europe, where “the nouveau riche of Tombstone bought their clothes in the first place.”
Tombstone ended up winning the race
In the end, both movies were released just six months apart: Tombstone in December 1993, and Wyatt Earp in June 1994.
However, there was a clear winner in this battle. Wyatt Earp, a three-hour epic drama, earned just $55.9 million against a $63 million budget. On top of this, reviews were mixed.
Warner Bros. PicturesTombstone, however, was a grand success. It earned $73.2 million against a $25 million budget, and has since become a cult classic and a landmark of the genre.
In 2024, Costner reflected on the experience, telling GQ, “I love Wyatt, or I just love that movie. We got into a level of competition with Tombstone. A good friend said, ‘Look, we can postpone this movie. We don’t wanna compete.’
“And I said, ‘Look, I’m sure this writer, director wants to make this movie, let them.’ And then this kind of space race started. And I always regretted that there was this kind of weird competition, and it was a fun movie, Tombstone, but it’s too bad it went the way it went.”
For more, find out how to watch all the Kevin Costner Westerns. You can also see what’s happening with Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, and take a look at our list of the best movies of all time.
