Popverse's top stories of the day

• Marvel has an unpublished Star-Lord story by Star Wars' Thrawn creator Timothy Zahn. The author isn’t sure it will ever be released.
• Rings of Power just reached one of Lord of the Rings' most consequential battles... with huge diferences from how J.R.R. Tolkien wrote it
• The Grinch returns! Dr. Seuss's holiday hater turns vacation villain in new kids graphic novel

The Kevin Costner-starring Horizon movies were set to do something unheard of in cinematic history: release two feature-length chapters (in theaters!) just two months apart. Now, however, the latter half of the massive undertaking, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2, is being delayed, no longer debuting on its intended release date of August 16. The news broke July 10, thanks to The Hollywood Reporter.

A spokesman for New Line Cinema, who co-produced the two films along with Costner's Territory Pictures, said that the move was intended to "give audiences a greater opportunity to discover the first installment of Horizon over the coming weeks, including on PVOD and Max." And to be fair, Chapter 1 could use that opportunity - the $100 million movie made only $11 million in its opening weekend.

But it isn't just a second movie that needs a bigger audience. Horizon, believe it or not, is a story told in four massive chapters, with the first clocking in at over three hours. Even in a world of connected, multi-part superhero sagas, that's a whole lot of movie. And though they didn't officially give the first chapter's poor box office performance as a reason, the article does point out that New Line and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery have not picked up the distribution rights to the next two Horizon movies. So far, anyway.

Related: The best Kevin Costner movies and TV shows to watch as Horizon begins & Yellowstone ends

But there is good news in this update for fans of Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (and if that's you, check out our Yellowstone watch order). First, several of the theaters that have already sold Chapter 2 ticktes for August 16 are offering a refund. And second, Kevin Costner is apparently undaunted by the news, and still plans to film Chapter 3 this August.

You've got to hand it to Costner; he's confident in this project. Sticking with such a massive undertaking with a (perceived) slow start takes guts. And yet, the films, should they all get made, won't quite be making movie history. Which is a real shame for, you know, a historical drama.

As of this writing, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 is currently without a release date. Chapter 1 is in theaters now, with no word as to when the film will debut on Max.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.