What Happened To Kevin Costner? Six Ways To Reboot His Career

Between 1987 and 1992, Kevin Costner had a quite staggering run. From the brilliant Al Capone movie ‘The Untouchables’ and vastly underrated thriller ‘No Way Out’, he starred in one quality hit after another, including ‘Field of Dreams’, ‘Bull Durham’, ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ and ‘JFK’.

In amongst those was 1990’s epic Western ‘Dances With Wolves’ which he starred in, directed and produced and for which he won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. In 1992, he appeared opposite Whitney Houston in ‘The Bodyguard’, the soundtrack to which remains the best-selling of all time, having shifted more than 47 million copies.

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But thanks to ‘Waterworld’ and the £55million three-hour dirge that was ‘The Postman’, as well as a creeping reputation for being difficult to work with, it all came unstuck. Here, we give one of the biggest stars of the late Eighties and early Nineties some tips for how to reclaim his crown.

Swap superhero universes

He was wasted in ‘Man of Steel’ and anyway, he’s dead now (despite his BvS cameo) so there’s no reason he can’t shuffle over to the MCU.

He would have been great as Star-Lord’s dad in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ (a role already taken by Kurt Russell), but how about playing Carol Danvers’ father in the upcoming ‘Captain Marvel’?

Alternatively, what about a role in the ‘Ant-Man’ sequel, due in 2018? As an old friend of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas)?

Get a meeting with Tarantino

This is pretty much what every veteran actor looking for a hit should do, but with Costner and Quentin both sharing a passion and skill for Westerns, it seems like a partnership that’s destined to be.

Tarantino is also expert at tapping into a previously heroic actor’s malevolent side (see Travolta/DiCaprio etc.) Costner has tested villainous waters before, most recently in 2016 flop ‘Criminal’ or as a serial killer in 2007’s ‘Mr Brooks’, but it needs a filmmaker as skilful as Q to bring the best out of Kevin.

Reboot ‘The Expendables’ and turn them into cowboys

Imagine it – reboot the OAP team franchise only set it in the Wild West. Okay, so this already sounds a bit like ‘Unforgiven’, but given the right actors and tone it could be a hoot.

Costner, Lee Jones, Redford – throw some younger action bucks and gals in there like, say, Milla Jovovich and Maggie Q – and you’ve got yourself a trilogy at least.

Focus properly on directing

He’s got the Oscar already and his 2003 Western ‘Open Range’ was critically acclaimed.

But one of the reasons why ‘The Postman’ was such a failure, only recouping £18m at the box office, was because he tried to do everything. He even sang a song on the soundtrack.

Costner needs to take a leaf out of Eastwood and Woody Allen’s book and realise it’s okay to either watch from the sidelines or play a supporting role in a movie you’re directing – it might even end up winning you another Academy Award.

Do another musically-themed drama

Away from the screen, the star has had a pretty lucrative business career, most successfully – and controversially – developing oil separation machines, a batch of which BP bought following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

But he’s also started a sideline as a musician in his own right, touring regularly with his country band Kevin Costner and the Modern West, with whom he’s released two albums.

Bradley Cooper is rumoured to be directing a long-in-development remake of the ‘A Star Is Born, so why doesn’t Costner throw his hat into the ring to play the aging performer who becomes bitter and depressed when his female protégée becomes a huge success?

Make ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 2′

Why? Because the first one was awesome and it’s been 25 years since it came out. Costner could play an older, wiser Robin passing the mantle onto his son with Marian. The now twenty-something Robert Hood could be played by Robert Pattinson complete with authentic English accent, while Daisy Ridley could be a sassy British country girl, who’s aces with a staff. Turns out she’s Little John’s daughter.

And there wouldn’t be a villain. After all, no-one could top the late, great Alan Rickman.

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Image credits: Rex_Shutterstock