Brian Austin Green, once a standout as the fierce freedom fighter Derek Reese in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, stars in the new direct-to-DVD action film Cross from Sony Pictures. The movie casts him as Callan, a vigilante empowered by an ancient Celtic cross, who battles an immortal Viking amid a wave of young women's disappearances in Los Angeles. Featuring a supporting lineup of Michael Clarke Duncan, Jake Busey, Tom Sizemore, and Vinnie Jones, this low-budget release revives Green's action-hero roots in a project that early trailers suggest leans heavily into familiar genre tropes.
From Terminator Resistance to Celtic Superpowers
Green's portrayal of Derek Reese in the 2008-2009 Fox series marked a career highlight, where he embodied a battle-hardened soldier from a post-apocalyptic future, adding grit to the Terminator franchise's ongoing narrative. That role showcased his ability to convey intensity and vulnerability amid high-stakes chases and moral dilemmas. Cross shifts him into supernatural territory: Callan gains extraordinary powers from a mystical Celtic artifact, assembling a team of weapons specialists to confront a villainous immortal. This pivot echoes the direct-to-video action films of the 1990s and 2000s, where aging stars from television took on outsized threats in plots blending urban crime with ancient lore.
A Cast of Familiar Faces in Straight-to-Streaming Fare
The ensemble bolsters Cross's appeal for fans of B-movie action. Michael Clarke Duncan brings physical presence from roles in films like The Green Mile and Armageddon, while Jake Busey carries forward a legacy of eccentric heavies seen in Starship Troopers. Tom Sizemore, known for intense turns in Saving Private Ryan and Heat, and Vinnie Jones, the ex-soccer enforcer turned screen tough guy in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, round out a group that thrives in gritty, no-frills productions. Such casts often signal films aimed at streaming platforms or discount racks, prioritizing recognizable names over big-studio polish.
Direct-to-DVD Action's Enduring Place in Pop Culture
Cross fits into a lineage of direct-to-video releases that sustain actors' careers between higher-profile gigs, offering quick production turns and dedicated genre audiences. These films exploded in the DVD era, capitalizing on home video demand for escapist violence without theatrical risks—titles like Steven Seagal's later output or Jean-Claude Van Damme's string of revenge thrillers paved the way. For Green, post-90210 and Terminator, this represents a return to physical roles amid a landscape where streaming services now absorb much of this content. Trailers reveal a mix of gunplay, supernatural fights, and damsel-saving clichés, promising unpretentious entertainment that invites nostalgia over critical acclaim.
What Cross Signals for Green's Legacy and Genre Trends
Releasing straight to digital shelves, Cross underscores how platforms like Tubi or Amazon Prime sustain the vigilante genre, where empowered everymen combat urban decay and otherworldly foes. Green's involvement highlights actors' adaptability in an industry favoring franchises and reboots, keeping his freedom-fighter persona alive for a new, low-barrier format. Viewers drawn to his Sarah Connor Chronicles intensity may find echoes here, though the film's modest ambitions temper expectations. As superhero tales saturate screens from Marvel spectacles to indie comics adaptations, Cross carves a niche for raw, artifact-fueled heroism unburdened by blockbuster budgets.
