5 Years Later, Tom Holland's Sci-Fi Movie That Should've Started A Franchise Is Free On YouTube

Published Sep 6, 2026, 8:55 AM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Tom Holland is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and while one of his sci-fi movies failed to launch a franchise, it is now streaming for free. The 30-year-old British star has become a huge star over the last decade, propelled by being cast as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's been playing Peter Parker since 2016, appearing in many of the biggest movies of all-time. That's the case once again this year thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day's record-breaking run. He's entrenched as one of the MCU's most bankable actors, and this success has earned him plenty of other opportunities. Holland got a role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, making him part of the star-studded cast that helped get the epic well over $1 billion. His star has shone so bright that Pixar recruited him for a hopeful fantasy franchise starter in Onward, while Sony looked to double down on his franchise-leading abilities with Uncharted. The latter is said to be getting a sequel, and one of Holland's sci-fi movies was meant to. The actor headlined 2021's sci-fi film Chaos Walking, landing the role just a few months after his Spider-Man debut. Five years later, Chaos Walking is now streaming for free on YouTube, making it the perfect time to check out one of Holland's movies that remains widely underseen. What Tom Holland's Chaos Walking Movie Is About & Why It's Worth Watching Directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow), Chaos Walking follows Holland's Todd Hewitt as a member of an all-male colony on the planet New World. The men can all see and hear each other's thoughts through a phenomenon known as Noise. Todd's life changes forever when he finds the sole survivor of a crash, a young woman named Viola, played by Daisy Ridley. The movie is built around Holland and Ridley, who are reasons enough to check out the sci-fi adventure. They have solid chemistry together, and it's fun to see both actors take on these roles after breaking out in much bigger franchises. Whether it's the romance angle or action elements, the British duo make for a solid pairing. In fact, Chaos Walking's cast overall is rather incredible. Mads Mikkelsen plays the mayor of the all-male colony. Demián Bichir, Nick Jonas, and David Oyelowo are other notable members living on New World. Cynthia Erivo also has an important role to play. Add in Liman's experience directing action, and the talent assembled for the blockbuster is undeniable. There is also a very intriguing premise to Chaos Walking that makes it worth watching. It's based on the YA novel series of the same name, which set the blueprint for the Noise, New World, and everything else that comes. There is clearly a bigger world to explore here, one that could have continued if Chaos Walking was the franchise starter it was meant to be. Chaos Walking Should've Been Another Tom Holland Franchise, So What Happened? Lionsgate envisioned an entire Chaos Walking movie trilogy long before Holland and Ridley came aboard the first installment. The books' author, Patrick Ness, wrote three novels, and each one could've become a movie. After seeing how well The Hunger Games did as a YA sci-fi book-to-movie franchise, Chaos Walking could have been the studio's replacement. Unfortunately, a lot went wrong with Chaos Walking, as it was plagued by behind-the-scenes issues. It underwent extensive reshoots that Liman did not direct after early test screenings went poorly. Holland and Ridley's busy schedules complicated this need, forcing the additional photography to occur well over a year after the movie originally wrapped. The result was a two-year delay from a planned March 2019 release to March 2021, with Lionsgate electing to drop it early on in a pandemic-recovering theatrical landscape. Audiences did not view Chaos Walking as a must-see theatrical experience, as the movie only made $27 million at the box office despite costing over $100 million following the reshoots. With the horrible box office and very negative reviews, any thought of a Chaos Walking franchise vanished. It's free-to-stream status on YouTube becomes an opportunity to check it out for anyone who hasn't and still has interest, even if it won't save the franchise's future. Release Date March 5, 2021 Runtime 109minutes Director Doug Liman Writers Charlie Kaufman, Lindsey Beer, John Lee Hancock, Gary Spinelli, Patrick Ness, Andrew Gottlieb