There is a very good chance that you were introduced to the talents of Karl Urban following the release of The Boys. Now, if that is the case, it goes without saying that you have most definitely missed out on some of the insanely good projects he has been a part of. So, we have curated a list of Karl Urban movies and TV Shows such as Dredd, Almost Human, and The Bourne Supremacy to help you find the best one to your liking. So, take your time going through them and see for yourself which ones are worth being a part of your watchlist.
Top 10 Movies and TV Shows With Karl Urban
So, if you have been wondering about other projects Karl Urban has been a part of, below you can find the names and relevant details of some of the best projects Karl Urban has been a part of.
| Movie/TV Show | Details |
|---|---|
| Ghost Ship (2002) | Release Date: October 25, 2002 Runtime: 1 Hour and 31 Minutes Ratings: 5.6 Streaming Platform: Tubi |
| The Lord of The Rings (2002-2003) | Release Date: December 18, 2002 Runtime: 2 Hours and 59 Minutes Ratings: 8.8 Streaming Platform: HBO Max |
| The Chronicles Of Riddick (2004) | Release Date: June 11, 2004 Runtime: 2 Hours 14 Minutes Ratings: 6.6 Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video |
| The Bourne Supremacy (2004) | Release Date: July 23, 2004 Runtime: 1 Hours 40 Minutes Ratings: 7.7 Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video |
| Star Trek (2009) | Release Date: May 8, 2009 Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes Ratings: 7.9 Streaming Platform: Paramount+ |
| Red (2010) | Release Date: October 15, 2010 Runtime: 1 Hours 51 Minutes Ratings: 7 Streaming Platform: Hulu |
| Dredd (2012) | Release Date: September 21, 2012 Runtime: 1 Hours 35 Minutes Ratings: 7.1 Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video |
| Almost Human (2013-2014) | Release Date: November 17, 2013 Episodes: 13 Episodes Ratings: 7.9 Streaming Platform: Apple TV |
| Thor: Ragnarök (2017) | Release Date: November 3, 2017 Runtime: 2 Hours 10 Minutes Ratings: 7.9 Streaming Platform: Disney+ |
| The Boys (2019-Present) | Release Date: July 26, 2019 Episodes: 32 Episodes Ratings: 8.6 Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video |
10 Best Karl Urban Movies and TV Shows
I am pretty sure that by now, you have seen and decided on the movies and TV shows you would like to watch, and if you want to learn more details, here is everything you need to know about all the mentioned projects.
Ghost Ship (2002)
Back in 2010, low-budget horror movies were at their peak, and Dark Castle Productions excelled in creating such flicks. Initially, the production house focused on remaking popular horror movies, and once they were making enough money, they produced their first original movie. This movie was none other than Ghost Ship.
As the name suggests, the movie revolves around a haunted ship and a group of people who are trying to survive it. While this movie failed to impress critics, it became an immensely popular, beloved popcorn flick. Ghost Ship became Karl Urban’s Hollywood movie role where he appeared as Munder, a part of the salvage crew who meets a rather uneventful fate.
The Lord of The Rings (2002-2003)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema (via Amazon)
While most of you would not remember seeing Karl Urban in this flick, The Lord of the Rings remains one of the most successful movies Karl Urban has been a part of. However, he is often forgotten amidst the massive and more recognisable cast featured in one of the best fantasy movies of all time.
Karl Urban appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in the role of Éomer, and then appeared in The Return of the King. In the franchise, Karl Urban was the leader of the Riders of Rohan. Anyone who is even slightly into entertainment is aware of how massive this franchise has grown to be, and has a fan following that grows everyday even after years of release.
The Chronicles Of Riddick (2004)
Riddick was a sequel to Pitch Black, a horror film in which Vin Diesel appears as Riddick. However, in The Chronicles of Riddick, there was a significant shift in genres, and it moved from horror to pure science fiction. In chronicles of Riddick, we see Vin Diesel heading to a planet to protect it from religious terrorists.
In this movie, Karl Urban plays a villain named Commander Vaako. He is a commander for the leader of the religious fanatics working under Lord Marshal. Vaako has orders to find and kill Riddick. However, his character is way more dynamic and allows Karl Urban to display his talents as an actor.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
When we talk about spy movies, The Bourne franchise is easily one of the most succesful one to date. Karl Urban holds a role in one of the most influential movies in the franchise, The Bourne Supremacy. In this movie, we see that Jason Bourne is lying low in India, but even though he is not even remotely involved, gets framed for murder and is being hunted by the CIA.
However, the real person responsible for the murders is Karl Urban’s Kirill, a Russian Federal Security Service Agent who carried out the killings and framed Jason. Karl Urban is the main villain of this movie, and he plays the part to perfection.
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek might just be one of the most successful space franchises after Star Wars. Considering its success, this insane franchise was rebooted in 2009 by none other than J.J. Abrams. This movie created a new timeline. In this reboot, Zachary Quinto played Spock, Chris Pine played James T. Kirk, and Karl Urban appeared as Doctor McCoy.
The first movie in the rebooted franchise was an origin story where the beloved trio gets the chance to join the Federation, and this movie gathered critical appreciation with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Red (2010)
Red was one of the most unique movies of its time as it brings us old actors as protagonists and a young man as the antagonist. Red brings us Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich as retired, old black ops agents who are in the crosshairs of the U.S Government to cover up old war crimes.
Karl Urban appears as William Cooper, a young CIA black ops agent sent in charge of the hunt by a corrupt CIA official. Red is not just an action movie but has multiple layers to it, which brought it a Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Dredd (2012)
If you think that The Boys is the first major role where Karl Urban plays a comic book character, you would be very wrong. Back in 2012, 2000 AD Comics brought to life one of the most loved characters, Judge Dredd, with Karl Urban playing the role. This movie takes us to a dystopian future where law enforcement operates with officers called “Judges” who are the judge, jury, and executioner of any convict they come across.
However, while Dredd received great ratings from critics, amounting to an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it did not do very well at the Box Office. The primary reason behind this was the negative public image of the franchise created by the 1990s adaptation of the comic by Sylvester Stallone.
Almost Human (2013-2014)
Right before Karl Urban put on his East London swagger as Billy Butcher in The Boys, he made his mark in Almost Human as John Kennex in Almost Human. He played the role of a police detective who is partnered with a “Synthetic” or an android named Dorian against his will. However, John does not trust synthetics one bit, but Dorian is different from other androids.
Dorian is way more human in his approach, which makes John extremely curious about him. Even though the ratings for this show were rather positive, it was cancelled after just one season because of low viewership numbers.
Thor: Ragnarök (2017)
Karl Urban has also made his mark as one of the most memorable side characters in the history of the MCU. In Thor Ragnarok, Urban appears as Skurge. When Hela unleashed havoc on Asgard, he became Hela’s executioner to save his own skin.
However, in the final moments, he chose his land and his people and went down in a blaze of glory fighting against Hela’s forces to protect the Asgardians. This was a one time apperance by Urban in The MCU, and Karl Urban will not appear in any of the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows. However, the scene where he finally fights for his people has become one of the most remarkable scenes in Marvel movies.
The Boys (2019-Present)
Certain actors are born to play some roles, and many fans believe that for Karl Urban, it’s Billy Butcher in The Boys. This show is created by showrunner Eric Kripke and is based on the highly acclaimed comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.
In essence, The Boys revolves around a group of former CIA Operatives and some civilians fit for taking down morally corrupt superheroes, and at the top of their hit-list is Homelander, the leader of the most popular superhero team named “The Seven”. The series has been running for 4 Seasons and is now headed towards the release of The Boys Season 5, set to release on April 8, 2026.
