ENTERTAINMENT

A Western film saga shines spotlight on Utah

Jun 28, 2024, 4:44 PM | Updated: 5:21 pm

The Utah Film Commission works hard to highlight a century of success on the “silver screen” from the Beehive State. And with the premiere of the biggest Hollywood blockbuster filmed in Utah in years, it begs the question: Are more big productions headed our way?

Inside the Capitol was a fantastic display highlighting the history of Utah’s film industry. From “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” all the way to “The Sandlot” and beyond.

As fun as it is to look back, a film series by Academy Award winner Kevin Costner focuses on how Utahns think about the present and the future of Utah’s film industry.

The “Horizon” saga, which will roll out as a streaming series with different parts, was shot right in Utah’s beautiful mountains and among the stark red rocks of the Beehive State.

Part 3 was filmed earlier this week.

The filming of "Horizon" in Utah.

The filming of “Horizon” in Utah. (KSL TV)

Utah is a great place to film this series as the state has an “old western” feel stamped all over its vistas. It’s the reason why Hollywood looks to the state over other filming locations since it brings their scenes to life.

Virginia Pearce with the Utah Film Commission knows better than anybody what Utah offers. She knows how other states, like New Mexico, managed to seduce filmmakers to set up shop north of Albuquerque instead of rolling cameras near Kanab.

“Really, the same reasons that brought John Ford and John Wayne here are the same reasons storytellers and filmmakers keep coming back today. We have amazing locations. We have film-friendly countries. We have resources and crew and actors who have been doing it a long time,” Pearce said.

Virginia Pearce talking about how the Utah Film Commission tries to bring in Hollywood studios to Utah.

Virginia Pearce talking about how the Utah Film Commission tries to bring in Hollywood studios to Utah. (KSL TV)

While Utah’s film industry is growing, clearing the $80-million mark annually, Pearce said that New Mexico brings in 10 times that amount yearly.

“There’s a balance to what makes sense. We obviously are a well-managed state. We have a great economy and so I leave it up to the legislature to kind of figure out what’s the right fit for Utah,” she said.

And that really is the trick. Can Utan get the incentives and set up the infrastructure to bring Hollywood here to the Beehive State again and again to make more big blockbusters?

“Horizon: An American Saga Part 1” is in theaters now. Go to film.utah.gov to check out all the interactive maps and cool history of Utah’s film industry.

KSL 5 TV Live

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A Western film saga shines spotlight on Utah