Horizon: An American Saga is a multi-part epic Western film series from Warner Bros. Pictures that just dropped its first installation in theaters on June 28, 2024.
The project is the brainchild of Kevin Costner, who is producing, helping write and ideate the story, directing, and starring in the lead role in the franchise. Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2024, where it received a generally positive response from the audience and critics, with high expectations set for the whole Horizon series.
Set in the 1800s, Horizon shows America before and after the Civil War. The films are set to delve into the country's rich and complex history while focusing on the expansion and settlement of the American West and the effects it had on different communities.
The film series has an ensemble cast featuring the likes of Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Isabelle Fuhrman, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, and others in pivotal roles, with Kevin Costner himself as the leading star.
Horizon: An American Saga is set to be released in four parts. Chapter 1 has just arrived in theaters, with Chapter 2 set to release on August 16, 2024. Chapters 3 and 4 are currently in production, with a speculated release window between October and December of 2024. However, this might change going forward.
These are some of our top picks of film series that were made into multi-part titles and follow the same story and timeline, maintaining continuity through different installations, just like Horizon: An American Saga.
Dune, Lord of the Rings and 3 other multi-part movies like Horizon: An American Saga
1) Dune
Dune is an epic sci-fi film series from Warner Bros. Pictures. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film duology is inspired by Frank Herbert's 1965 novel of the same name. The first film, Dune: Part One, was released in 2021, followed by Dune: Part Two in March 2024.
The films feature an ensemble cast including the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Fergusson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, and others in pivotal roles. Other than being multi-part films, both Dune and Horizon feature a struggle for political and topographic supremacy.
The films are set on the desert planet of Arrakis, the only planet in the universe capable of harvesting the most valuable "spice" that extends life and grants enhanced mental capabilities. The story depicts a political power struggle alongside a struggle for survival, which makes it a perfect watch for somebody who loved Horizon.
Dune can be streamed on Apple TV+ and Max, while Dune: Part Two can be streamed on Max only.
2) Kill Bill
Kill Bill is an action-crime thriller film series from Miramax Films. It is the brainchild of Quentin Tarantino, who initially wrote and directed the film as one single film. However, because of its long runtime, Kill Bill was released in two volumes in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
The cast features Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks, and others in pivotal roles throughout the film duology. The films were a huge success both critically and commercially, even attaining cult status.
In this multi-part film, a former assassin embarks on a journey of vengeance after uncovering that her ex-colleagues betrayed her and attempted to kill her along with her unborn child.
Both volumes of Kill Bill are available for streaming on Netflix.
3) Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy film series from New Line Cinema. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's multi-part novel of the same name, Peter Jackson directed the film trilogy, with each film corresponding to a volume of the novel. The screenplays were written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Stephen Sinclair, along with Jackson himself.
The franchise features an ensemble cast including the likes of Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, and others in pivotal roles. It is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and successful multi-part movies out there.
Set in the fictional Middle Earth, the story follows a group of diverse characters from different communities and races who keep their differences aside and come together to destroy the One Ring, the ring that had the potential to bring unparallaled destruction in its wake.
The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy can be streamed on Max.
4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter is another iconic franchise that finds itself on this list of the best multi-part movies like Horizon. The final installation in the J.K. Rowling series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was adapted into a two-part movie directed by David Yates.
Although the film adaptations had always been very popular, fans who had read the books felt that they missed pieces of the story in the film adaptations. With the final installation being so important, the creators decided to go for a two-part movie instead of skimping on the details.
In this way, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows received a well-deserved ending to their decade-long run through a multi-part movie adaptation. Both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are available to stream on Peacock and Max.
5) Avengers: Infinity War
This list features some very iconic film franchises across genres. So it would just be right to add the most popular film franchise of the 21st century, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film in question is Avengers: Infinity War, which was released in 2018, with the second part, Avengers: Endgame, releasing in 2019.
While many may consider them to be two standalone films, Endgame was initially titled Infinity War - Part 2 and developed from Infinity War's events to culminate the story in a multi-part film. This brought the MCU's Infinity Saga to its climax, concluding the arc of Phase Three's big bad, Thanos.
The films follow the clash between Earth's mightiest heroes and the Mad Titan, who uses the power of the infinity stones to kill half of the population of the entire galaxy.
Infinity War and Endgame are available on Disney+.
If you love movie marathons, then multi-part movies are the best options out there. For those movie buffs, these were our top picks of multi-part movies to add to your home watchlist right now. If you want a theater experience, Kevin Costner's multi-part film series, Horizon, is currently running in theaters.
Chapter 1, out of four planned, was released on June 28, 2024. The second chapter is currently set to release on August 16, 2024, with two more installations releasing in the future.