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Kevin Costner Calls Horizon Rape Scene Allegations a “Bold-Faced Lie”

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By: Jessica Morrison

Kevin Costner Calls Horizon Rape Scene Allegations a “Bold-Faced Lie”
© Red94 – Kevin Costner Calls Horizon Rape Scene Allegations a “Bold-Faced Lie”

Actor pushes to dismiss lawsuit over disputed Horizon scene, sparking Hollywood safety debate.

Kevin Costner is hitting back hard at a stunt performer’s lawsuit claiming she was forced into an unscripted rape scene on Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2. The actor and director filed an August 2025 court motion calling the accusations a “bold-faced lie.” With Horizon already under intense scrutiny after its box-office struggles, the case is shaping up as a battle over safety, consent, and power in Hollywood.

What Sparked the Horizon Lawsuit

Devyn LaBella, who doubled for actress Ella Hunt, alleges she was blindsided during a May 2023 shoot and pressured into performing a rough, simulated rape without proper disclosure. She claims modesty protections weren’t in place and no intimacy coordinator was present. Costner’s filing disputes that narrative, insisting the sequence was scripted, fully clothed, and handled with oversight. This sharp clash raises new questions about how rigorously post-#MeToo safeguards are enforced on major productions.

Why Costner Calls the Allegations “A Lie”

In his response, Costner submitted sworn statements and pointed to text messages allegedly showing LaBella expressing gratitude for the job. His lawyers argue the lawsuit is an attempt to tarnish his reputation at a vulnerable time for Horizon. For supporters, the filing reasserts that not every on-set disagreement equals misconduct. For critics, it looks like Hollywood’s old power dynamics resurfacing under new guises.

The Numbers Behind the Fallout

Horizon: Chapter 1 grossed only around $25 million on a reported $100 million budget. Chapter 2’s release was delayed into 2025, adding financial pressure. LaBella’s lawsuit seeks damages plus mandatory intimacy-coordination safeguards—requirements that could drive costs higher for mid-budget Westerns. Insurers and completion-bond companies are already watching closely, calculating whether new compliance rules will become mandatory across the industry.

Social Media Divides Over Who to Believe

On social platforms, the case has split opinion. One camp amplifies LaBella’s story as proof that Hollywood still fails to protect vulnerable workers. Another insists Costner is being unfairly maligned and points to his long career with relatively few such controversies. Hashtags backing both sides are trending, reflecting how one disputed scene can spark cultural firestorms well beyond the courtroom.

What the Legal Filings Reveal So Far

“Horizon — Chap. 2,” sections highlighted “violent implication,”
“Horizon — Chap. 2,” sections highlighted “violent implication,”

The case is still in early stages. Costner’s team has filed a motion to dismiss, citing California’s anti-SLAPP statute meant to protect free expression. LaBella’s attorneys counter with reports from an intimacy coordinator they say corroborates her account. The judge’s decision on whether the case proceeds to discovery will set the tone: quiet dismissal, or months of evidence-gathering that could pull in guilds, producers, and insurers.

How the Case Could Change Hollywood Sets Forever

Even before a verdict, this lawsuit is reshaping conversations about consent. True: intimacy coordinators are now considered as essential as stunt coordinators. True: productions must maintain airtight paper trails—call sheets, consent forms, modesty-garment logs—to avoid liability. False: that a dismissal would prove safeguards were perfect. The cultural impact is clear: ambiguity is risk, and sensitive scenes demand documentation as rigorous as any high-risk stunt.

Who Wins and Loses in the End

If LaBella prevails, she could secure damages and a precedent that forces stronger union enforcement. If Costner succeeds in dismissing the case, he preserves both reputation and control over Horizon. Hollywood as a whole, however, is already on notice. No matter how the court rules, producers will rethink how they choreograph and document sensitive content—because the reputational and financial costs of getting it wrong are higher than ever.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/19/kevin-costner-lawsuit-horizon-stunt-performer
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-28/kevin-coster-sued-rape-scene-horizon-part-two-devyn-labella
https://www.thewrap.com/horizon-2-stunt-actress-amends-lawsuit-kevin-costner/

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