Summary
The newly announceduntitled J.J. Abrams movielooks much more appealing after casting two of the biggest rising stars in Hollywood. Abrams' latest movie is set to star bothGlen Powell and Jenna Ortega. While Powell, 35, has certainly been around the block, he skyrocketed to superstardom with his recent worksAnyone But You,Hit Man, and nowTwisters, which has made him one of the most in-demand actors currently working in Hollywood. The same can be said of the much youngerOrtega, 21, whose leading roles in Netflix’s massively popularWednesday,Scream IV, and theupcomingBeetlejuicesequelhave made her a global phenom.
As for Abrams, he has yet to direct a feature film since filling in to complete Disney’s latestStar Warstrilogy withStar Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. That being said, Abrams' outreach as a producer through his Bad Robot label remains widespread, having been credited as an executive producer on recent titles such as Apple’sPresumed Innocent, HBO’sWestworld, and the recently released Amazon seriesBatman: Caped Crusader.Abrams was also a producer of Amazon’sThe Blue Angelsdocumentary along with Powell, which may have sparked their next collaboration.
Jenna Ortega & Glen Powell Would Be An Exciting Pair For JJ Abrams' Upcoming Movie
Ortega and Powell are two of the hottest names in Hollywood right now
Powell is currently locked in the action/romantic comedy space while Ortega has found momentum as one of the latest faces of modern horror.
Powell and Ortega would be an exciting collaboration in a J.J. Abrams movie just based on face value alone. Apart from them both being highly in-demand and recognizable phenoms, neither actor has really stepped into the realm of true sci-fi, which is of course Abrams' claim to fame. Similar to Robert Pattinson’s recent trek into the sci-fi genre with Bong Joon Ho’s upcomingMickey 17,Ortega and Powell could presumably leap into a brand new genre togetherwith one of the most significant sci-fi directors of all time. Powell is currently locked in the action/romantic comedy space while Ortega has found momentum as one of the latest faces of modern horror.
While Abrams' upcoming movie is heavily under wraps to a similar level of secrecy as his"Loose Lips Bring Down Starships"Force Awakenscampaign, there’s a fairly decent chance that it will belong in the sci-fi genre based on his directorial track record.The last feature directed by Abrams that wasn’t sci-fi was 2006’sMission: ImpossibleIII, although hisSuper 8(2011) starring Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler blended multiple genres such as sci-fi, action, and thriller. It’s more likely that Abrams will retain Powell’s star power in action movies than lean into Ortega’s horror hype, which could result in Ortega’s first proper action role.
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The official trailer and promos for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are still hiding a scene with Jenna Ortega’s Astrid Deetz that was teased during filming.
What We Know About JJ Abrams' Secret Movie
The film is likely to be a sci-fi action but nothing is confirmed
Ortega and Powell will get a taste of the sci-fi genre with near-future projects that could add some momentum to their potential big-budget sci-fi blockbuster with Abrams.
The movie is being called a “secret” for a reason, so there’s nothing we can do but speculate about what the project could possibly be. Ortega has shown some signs of expanding outside of the horror genre already with her lead role in Taika Waititi’s upcoming sci-fi dramaKlara and the Sunalongside Amy Adams, Simon Baker, and Natasha Lyonne. Apart from that,she’s attached to two horror-adjacent upcoming projects:Death of a Unicornalongside Paul Rudd and Will Poulter and an untitled Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night,Waves) film which is set to star Barry Keoghan and pop singer The Weeknd.
As for Powell, hisTwistersis still whirling up a storm at the box office, setting its sights on $300 million worldwide. He’s currently filming John Patton Ford’s (Emily the Criminal) upcoming comedy thriller with Margaret Qualley and Bill Camp and is also set to star in a modern adaptation of Stephen King’sThe Running ManwithBaby Driverdirector Edgar Wright, which leans into dystopian sci-fi quite heavily. It could turn out that both Ortega and Powell will get a taste of the sci-fi genre with near-future projects that could add some momentum to their potential big-budget sci-fi blockbuster with Abrams.
Deadlineconfirmed that Abrams' secret movie will not contain time travel elements.
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Jenna Ortega & Glen Powell Previously Worked Together (Kind Of)
They were both voice actors on Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous
If you wanted to say that Ortega and Powell previously worked together as voice actors in the animated seriesJurassic World Camp Cretaceous, you’d be correct. But that hardly matches the magnitude of the two superstars coming together in a J.J. Abrams blockbuster.The only known movie that Abrams has worked on that has yet to be made is the sequel to 2008’sCloverfield, for which he has a writing attachment, but that film has been stuck in development hell since the original was released. It’s wise forJ.J. Abramsto keep his cards close to his chest for his first film sinceStar Wars 9, especially since there will be plenty of Powell and Ortega in the meantime.
