Karl Urban’s Underrated Sci-Fi Horror Adaptation Is Officially Streaming For Free

Faye's Vision/Cover Images Published Aug 9, 2026, 10:29 AM EDT Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends. An underrated Karl Urban hit is back and streaming for free, but only for a short time. Over the past 30-plus years, Urban has become one of the most celebrated genre actors on both the big and small screen, having played multiple roles in Sam Raimi's Hercules and Xena universe, as well as everyone from Éomer in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Bones McCoy in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot and Billy Butcher in The Boys. As he has his next major franchise underway with Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat movies, viewers can now dive into one of his more underrated ventures. Based on Hyung Min-woo's manhwa of the same name, Priest was set in a dystopian alternate reality in which humanity warred with vampires for centuries, with the remnants of the former being ruled over by a totalitarian regime known as The Church in walled cities, while those who want to live freely are in small towns throughout the desert-like world. The vampires, meanwhile, were exiled to reservations, with high-ranking members of The Church believing the war to be over thanks to their elite warriors known as Priests. The 2011 film was led by Paul Bettany as a character simply known as Priest, who defies the orders of The Church to go looking for his niece, who was kidnapped by vampires, teaming up with a free town sheriff and a Priestess in order to find her. This ultimately leads the group to the mysterious Black Hat, played by Urban, with whom Priest shares a past connection, adding further stakes to the race against time to save his niece. Now, some 15 years after the film first hit theaters, Priest has made its way to a new streaming home. The sci-fi horror adaptation is now officially streaming for free on Tubi, which is also home to Urban's cult classic horror hit Ghost Ship. However, as is generally the case with Tubi additions, the film will only be available to stream for free until the end of August. With a star-studded cast that also included The O.C.'s Cam Gigadent, Ballard's Maggie Q, Emily in Paris' Lily Collins in her second major film role, True Blood's Stephen Moyer and Oscar winner Christopher Plummer, Priest was not quite a breakout hit upon its 2011 release. Critics were largely dismissive of the film, awarding it some praise for its visuals, but shunning its clichéd writing, awarding it a paltry 16% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. After numerous release shuffles to convert the film to 3D, it also failed to resonate at the box office, only grossing $78.3 million against its $60 million production budget. Despite its rockier reception at the time, though, Priest has gone on to quietly amass a better following from audiences, thanks in large part to the similar following to 2010's Legion. Also led by Bettany and helmed by Scott Stewart, the film utilized a similarly unique blend of modern-day action and fantasy elements, which also made Kate Beckinsale's Underworld films a fan-favorite. They also shared origins in being produced by Screen Gems, with Priest being the third-most-expensive of the studio's projects to date, situated behind Underworld: Awakening's $70 million budget and Resident Evil: Retribution's $65 million cost. Interestingly, Priest also came as Urban began branching out into the world of comic adaptations, beginning with the Bruce Willis-led RED the year prior. The year after the underrated sci-fi horror film would bring one of his most iconic comic book turns with Dredd, a cult classic that continues to have a passionate fan following and calls for a sequel, including from Urban himself. With Priest featuring a rare villainous turn from Urban, and bringing a unique visual aesthetic and world to the screen, it will be interesting to see if its free streaming home leads to something of a resurgence in the film's popularity. This could not only lead to Tubi considering keeping it on the platform longer, but also potentially raise curiosity about Min-woo's source material, and considerations of a reboot that hews closer to the original manhwa. Release Date May 13, 2011 Runtime 87minutes Director Scott Stewart Based on the Korean graphic novel series by Hyung Min-woo, Priest is an action horror film that sees Paul Bettany play "Priest," a specially trained man of the cloth with a brutal aptitude for dispatching otherworldly foes. When the war between humanity and vampires reaches a head, the last cities fortify themselves and train an elite group of warriors known as Priests, turning the predators into prey. Writers Cory Goodman Studio(s) Sony Distributor(s) Sony