Jon Bernthal is enjoying one of the biggest years of his career. Between high-profile roles in The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day — two of the biggest movies of the summer — the actor has become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand supporting stars. With those blockbuster films dominating headlines, fans of Bernthal’s brooding presence and rugged charm have been rediscovering some of the performances that helped establish him as a cornerstone character actor, from The Punisher (and a deep backlog of appearances across the Daredevil TV franchise) and The Walking Dead to acclaimed films like Ford v Ferrari and King Richard. And don’t forget his scene-stealing work in FX’s critically acclaimed series, The Bear. Bernthal’s mix of gritty, grounded, method acting and meticulous theater training makes him one of the most interesting movie stars working today with a career that already stretches back over a decade and seemingly has nowhere to go but up.
Right now, one of Bernthal’s finest crime thrillers is finding a new life. More than a decade after its theatrical release, a 121-minute action masterpiece has become a surprise streaming hit on HBO Max, finding a whole new audience in 2026.
Sicario is climbing the HBO Max charts
Image: Black Label Media/Lionsgate
The movie making an unexpected comeback is Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 crime thriller Sicario. After landing on HBO Max earlier this month, the Taylor Sheridan-penned thriller has quickly found a new audience, currently ranking as the seventh most-watched movie on the platform in the United States, according to third-party streaming tracker FlixPatrol.
Written by Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame, Sicario stars Emily Blunt as FBI agent Kate Macer, who joins a covert government task force led by CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) in a dangerous mission targeting a powerful Mexican drug cartel along the U.S.-Mexico border. As the operation descends into increasingly morally gray territory, Kate is forced to question everything she believes while working alongside the mysterious and ruthless Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro). Bernthal appears in a supporting role as Ted, Kate’s police officer boyfriend, proving memorable even in limited screen time.
Even more than a decade later, Sicario remains a masterclass in tension and a powerful thriller thanks to its star-studded cast.
Will Jon Bernthal ever return to the Sicario franchise?
Image: Black Label Media/Lionsgate
When it was released in 2015, Sicario was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and three Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Editing. While 2018’s sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, reunited stars Benicio del Toro and Brolin, it failed to match the critical highs of Villeneuve’s original, particularly without Blunt returning as Kate Macer.
A third installment, reportedly titled Sicario: Capos, has been in development for several years, with producers previously expressing hope of reuniting Blunt, del Toro, and Brolin if the project moves forward. Bernthal’s character isn’t a central figure in the franchise, making a return unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
Even if he never steps back into the Sicario universe, the film’s latest streaming success is another reminder that one of Bernthal’s most memorable supporting performances still has plenty of life left in it.