Streaming’s Next Cult Classic Is a Sci-Fi Gem You Missed

Let’s talk about director Gareth Edwards, a bloke who went from making one of the only decent modern Star Wars films to getting absolutely clobbered at the box office with his next big project. If you’ve ever wondered why good original sci-fi seems to struggle while every sequel, prequel, and spin-off gets churned out like sausages, Edwards’ career tells you all you need to know.

The Rogue One Surprise

When Disney first announced Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a lot of people—including plenty of diehard fans—rolled their eyes. It was Disney’s first proper go at a Star Wars spin-off, and at that stage, things hadn’t quite descended into endless brand-milking (hard to imagine now, I know). Plenty of questions about whether it was even worth doing. Was anyone crying out for it? Absolutely not.

Instead, out came a genuinely thrilling Star Wars film that—shock, horror—wasn’t obsessed with Skywalkers or swinging a lightsaber about. It takes a lot to impress both critics and fans these days, but Rogue One pulled it off and raked in over $1.05 billion worldwide, setting the franchise up for Andor (which, let’s face it, is as good as Star Wars TV gets).

Enter The Creator… And Immediate Trouble

After Rogue One, Edwards more or less disappeared for seven years. Then, in 2023, he re-emerged with The Creator. This wasn’t some committee-written franchise filler—this was his big original sci-fi gamble. He co-wrote it with Chris Weitz (the chap behind Murderbot), but kept tight reins on the directing side. The cast? Not too shabby. You’ve got John David Washington, Gemma Chan, and Ken Watanabe signing up for a future war between humans and AI.

Plot Breakdown

Right, so here’s the gist: It’s several decades ahead, things have gone proper pear-shaped after a hyper-intelligent AI set off a nuclear bomb in the US, and humanity is on a full-blown crusade against machines. No one’s nipped back in time to sort it out—this is no Terminator knockoff. Instead, the last artificial intelligences (AIs) have gone underground, living on the run and in hiding. The main character, Joshua (played by John David Washington), gets assigned to hunt down a mysterious new AI threat—only to discover his target is actually a human-like child. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Gareth Edwards film if this didn’t trigger a crisis of conscience, and soon Joshua’s on the run with the kid, confronting the fact that everyone involved has a fair amount of blood on their hands.

Box Office Bust — Streaming Rescues The Day

If you believed all the armchair critics who keep moaning that Hollywood needs to stop with endless sequels and make something fresh, you’d have thought The Creator was onto a winner. Spoiler: it wasn’t. It pulled in a worldwide gross of just $104 million, barely covering its $80 million budget—and nowhere near enough for a would-be sci-fi epic with top-notch visuals. Honestly, the special effects in this thing put most superhero films to shame, but audiences simply didn’t bother showing up at cinemas.

Critically speaking, it was hardly a disaster. The film landed a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences bumping that up to 75%—pretty solid, if not world-beating. Of course, it’s only since landing on streaming that it’s started picking up a bit of a following, becoming something of a cult favourite with people who missed it (or wrote it off) the first time round.

Now Hulu’s about to get in on the act, with The Creator streaming from 1 June 2026. Maybe third time’s the charm?

Cast List (with the highlights)

• John David Washington as Joshua (lead character, tasked with hunting the AI child)
• Gemma Chan
• Ken Watanabe

Quote of Note

'The Creator wasn't a complete failure, nor is it a bad movie. It earned decent reviews, leading to a 67% Rotten Tomatoes score and an even better audience rating of 75%. However, despite constantly begging for an end to major cash cow franchises and demanding new, original sci-fi movies, people didn't actually turn up to watch the new original sci-fi movie.'