Who are the next big movie stars?

Jennifer Lawrence is certainly on her way.  She's got the looks and the talent, and she's attached herself to some really solid franchises to guarantee her bankability.

It's an interesting question that keeps coming up on CHUD every once in a while. What fascinates me is that the Studios keep trying to push actors on us as "the next big thing" but so far none have took.

 

We may be in a period analogous to the 1970's were character actors reign. I think the Harry Potter cast have a shot at being regular actors who draw in a steady fanbase. Emma Watson IMO has star power and Daniel Radcliffe has shown he can make a film successful with his presence (Woman in Black would not have made the number it did, and gotten the acclaim it did, without him).

 

Then you have the coveted Action Heroes. Statham and The Rock (if he keeps making decent B movies like Faster) could fill the shoes of Norris and Van Damme, and by hanging around for a while they may gain acceptance. Staham in particular knows his wheelhouse and his fanbase seems to be growing slowly but steady, and he produces films each year that fit the niche he's going for.

 

But I don't see anyone filling in the Tom Hanks Everyman role, or any new Tom Cruises or Will Smiths.

Given the right role like Beverly Hills Cop or 48 Hours or Ace Ventura, Donald Glover could easily be the next Eddie Murphy or Jim Carrey. He's likable, funny as hell, and handsome.

 

Dexter's Michael C. Hall is charismatic as hell and is a great actor that can elevate the worst episodes of Dexter with just his presence. He was also amazing on Six Feet Under, Given the right role, he could be another De Niro.

Michael Fassbender is certainly on his way to becoming the biggest male movie star in years.

Channing Tatum has turned into a movie star before our eyes.

But are people (other than CHUD readers) going to films specifically to see Fassbinder or Channing?

Fassbender is too much a thespian to ever go all the way with the huge-budget studio projects. Tom Hardy will make a run at superstardom but will undermine himself with his own ridiculousness, I think.

 

I'm going to guess that Chrises Pine, Hemsworth, and Evans will have the most staying power as A-listers. None of them are overly impressive actors, and it'd be nice to see them tackle some more dramatic stuff, but it's not like we require that of movie stars anyway.

 

 

I guess I don't read enough gossip rags. What do you mean by this?

There really hasn't been anybody since I first saw raw, unpolished Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You where I've thought, "BOOM! FUTURE STAR!". (James Franco was probably the next closest behind him, but he hasn't crossed over and now I don't think he will.) But there are some prospects who, while they don't quite have the combination of elements Heath had, are still well in the running. So here then is my Top 5 List for Most Likely to Become a Name/Face That Sells Tickets in the Next Half Decade:

1. Channing Tatum
2. Chris Hemsworth
3. Michael Fassbender
4. Tom Hardy
5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
6. Chris Pine
7. Chris Evans


Because of Magic Mike every lady in the land knows the name Channing Tatum and because of 21 Jump Street about half the boys do too. Thor proved Chris Hemsworth has what it takes to carry a half-baked film and Avengers proved that even when he has fewer lines than his playmates he has more than enough screen charisma to stand toe-to-toe with a giant like Robert Downey Junior. And like Tatum he's handsome withouth being "pretty".

A couple of years ago I thought Jopseh Gordon-Levitt was going to be A-list leading man material but he's yet to deliver on the huge promise he showed in Brick for me. He has a case of the Leos in that he's too baby-faced to be convincing as an alpha. Even in Looper with the help of an un-babyifying Bruno make-up job I felt like he was a little too slight to really take control of the screen and was handily out-charisma'd by Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels. But thanks to Bats and Looper his name is more well known than it's ever been so he's still well in the game.

I'm more convinced about Tom Hardy but still not 100% there with him yet. He has alpha up the wazoo and is insanely entertaining in everything I've seen (I haven't seen the film he did with Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon) but he may just be a little too "interesting" to become a regular ticket-selling face.

And speaking of Chris Pine I've yet to see him do anything outside Trek so I don't know. He was a lot of fun in that ensemble cast but didn't hint at anything approaching Harrison Ford/Russell Crowe/Tom Cruise alpha level ticket-moving screen charisma and he may just be too California pretty to go big. If you're going to be pretty you have to be mysterious pretty like J-Depp or intense pretty like T-Cruise. Pine is a little too boy-next-door.

Chris Evans didn't make much impression in The Avengers but I liked him a lot in Captain America (which I saw after Avengers). That's all I got for him. He's the dark horse. Michael Fassbender has everything but may just be a little too "proper" and "thespian" to really go over the edge to become an A-list draw.

And in case it wasn't clear from my list, I am a sexist and a racist.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone for the win. Anne Hathaway and Chris Pine to place. Rachel McAdams and Joseph Gordon Levitt to show.

Honestly going to put my money on Anthony Mackie becoming someone people pay money to see. He's got juicy roles in Pain and Gain and Captain America 2. I can see it.

 

Fassbender not yet, though he's getting there, but Channing Tatum most definitely. Guy was voted sexiest man alive and as Bucho said, he nailed both male and female demos with 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike. Hell, production on GI Joe was stopped so they could go back and change his presence in the film.

Emma Stone for sure. She's got IT.

 

Jennifer Lawrence is in an interesting place where she's transitioning to adult roles while also being committed to a juvenile franchise.

 

Michael Fassbender may be too much of a chameleon to make a Big Star impact. He'll win awards though.

 

Elle Fanning is the real deal, and don't count her big sister out either.

 

I'd really like to see John Boyega make good on the promise he showed in Attack the Block. Total charisma.

Heard some good things about Elizabeth Olsen.

Yes, she's one to watch as well.

I don't know how big he's going to go but, at this point, Benedict Cumberbatch seems ideally positioned to break out. Then again, he might be too much of a Fassbinder type and be "too thespian". Hollywood loves him at the moment, though.

I can see Fassbender and Cumberbatch, possibly Hardy, being the next generation's Daniel Day-Lewis. From a bracketing perspective, perhaps not necessarily sheer acting chops. Ledger would have been my top pick for full on greatness, had he not upped and died. I'd like to think Hiddleston is going to have a long shelf life but the roles for him may be limited unless he demonstrates the romantic lead or comedy presence.

 

Levitt could be the new Hanks, although not quite as "everyman", particularly if he keeps his comedy exposure warm. I actually think he demonstrated very convincing presense as an action star in both Batman and Looper, so he could be something that Hanks never was.

 

The fact that Statham and the Rock remain perceived as the best hopes for action stardom depresses me.

 

Can Garfield do comedy? He's going somewhere, but I can't quite figure out where. Dane de Haan seems like a candidate for the one after Di Caprio. Jaden Smith will be everywhere at some point but I've no idea where his likely market will be, beyond the the targets his Dad chooses for him.

 

For the girls, you've also got Moretz, Steinfield and Ronan. Jennifer Lawrence leads that pack, though, for sure.

 

God, my list is so whitebread...

 

Derail: And also, holy shit, Milburn in Prometheus was Simon Pegg's indolent co-worker in Shaun of the Dead and the "other" Andy in Hot Fuzz? Totally didn't recognise him.

 

ETA: and Chastain. Forgot her.

Tom Hardy is great, his work in BRONSON is spectacular, but I don't see him as ever being a lead on his own. He's great at working with others and can be a great part of an ensemble, but if he doesn't have something big and garish to latch onto he kind of fades into the background. For example his works as Eames in Inception is great, but is also a completely minimal part, his presence is a part of why the overall film works but it's due to his function within the dynamic. In stuff like BRONSON and DARK KNIGHT RISES he's got a massive personality to channel and he's able to bring a real goofiness to a menacing role. But in stuff like WARRIOR where he's isolated and has to be subdued the guy really has little going for him other than his physicality. I really love Tom Hardy in movies, but I honestly think if he got pushed as a big superstar he'd flounder terribly.

This Michael Caine guy is probably going places.  Christopher Nolan sure seems to love him.  If he ever breaks out into a lead role, watch out.

He can definitely shed the pretty boy thing(see Smokin' Aces, as one of the Tremor Brothers), but would he want to for a major role?

 

Yeah, Hardy's too much of a character actor to be the next Tom Cruise.

 

Andrew Garfield's probably got a shot though.

Pine was pretty decent in BOTTLE SHOCK, although his blonde wig is distracting.

Slightly off-topic but what-the-hell:

 

Yesterday, I came across the official autobiography for “Britain’s toughest prisoner”; the man who renamed himself Charles Bronson. Who is on the cover? It’s an image of Tom Hardy from Bronson! Imagine writing a biography and, instead of your picture on the cover, they put the guy who played you in a movie!

 

Guy also seems to be keeping a low profile. Just checked IMDB and aside from MAD MAX (which I don't think is going to work out for him) and SPLINTER CELL (likewise) the guy has nothing on his schedule. And of those two SPLINTER CELL is just an announcement, the only actual work he's doing right now is MAD MAX.

Quote:

 

All fair points, although I'd probably argue he had more than just physicality going for him in Warrior. And, putting it out there possibly as a straw man, Day Lewis' strength and reputation resides primarily in his ability to channel precisely those types of "massive personalities", or at least performance using overtly distinctive characterstics as a key to immersion. Sure, Hardy has been more "goofy" but I think there's plenty more growth in him as an actor to assume that's how we'll end up characterising his performances in the future. As for carrying a film, well, he did with Bronson, and as a performance it's as quirky and extraordinary as Day Lewis' was in My Left Foot and others.

Most of the people mentioned so far are already stars, aren't they?  If we're talking the next Tom Cruise level star, that's much harder (or impossible, no pun intended) to predict.  Probably some teenager toiling away in relative obscurity on some terrible sitcom*.

 

 

 

Given Hollywood's penchant for age discrimination, it's funny to see her mentioned with a bunch of actresses 15 years younger.  She's a great actress, but I doubt she's going to be Julia Roberts.

 

*   There's some real buzz around that Angus T. Jones kid.

I can tell you who won't be the next big star: Taylor Kitsch.  His name has been tarnished, and not all of the blame for that rests with him.

Maybe, but things would've likely worked better if his next three projects - a role in Lone Survivor, the FNL movie, and the lead in Don Mckellar's (director of the unseen gem Last Night) next film - had been his first three big projects.

I meant to make that Fassbender/DDL comparison myself.


It's often said of Tom Cruise that all he has going for him is his intense physicality. I think Hardy could sell if he wanted to walk that path, but I don't think that's the path he wants to walk.


Nagboy doesn't give a shit about "stars" Bailey, he named this thread for "Big Stars" for a reason.

You have to hand it to Nagboy, he always has a reason.

Who were the last people to really get on the A-List? Russell Crowe with Gladiator in 2000? Johnny Depp with Pirates in 2003? Will Ferrell with Anchorman in 2004? Downey Jnr with Iron Man in 2007? 

 

I love Fassbender and Hardy - but they're more likely to end up like Colin Farrell, talented but without the A-List image. Kitsch strikes me as busted in the same way as Orlando Bloom or Shia LaBeouf. Tatum - sorry - but frankly he strikes me as a bit of a Megan Fox. I'm looking forward to the Jump Street sequel sure he'll be great in the Soderbergh gigs, but the name recognition and sex appeal don't automatically convert to A-List status. Is he going to be opening anything soon?

 

My bets would be Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper. Stars, but certainly not big stars, and they've got the ability to pull a turn which could get them a surprise blockbuster or the award recognition to push them through to the wider audience.

Yeah, Christian Bale. If only that guy could find the right vehicle to get a bigger audience.

 

Don't ever count out Tim Riggins. I think he has the potential to break out if he chooses his roles more wisely in the future (e.g. quit headlining shitty tentpoles and go with smaller pictures).

Actors have so little control over if their tentpoles are shitty*, it's hard to blame a guy for saying "yes" when Hollywood tries to make you the next big thing.  I mean, what else was he going to do?  The Friday Night Lights 10 Year Reunion Special?

 

* so to speak

 

It might be his time, now Batman's over. His upcoming slate's incredible. Two Malicks, a David O Russell, and one by the guy who directed Jeff Bridges to an Oscar. He's already picked up one Oscar, half the world knows his face from Batman, he's a credible actor from his back-catalogue and history of physical transformations, he's even stepping on Jolie's humanitarian turf. One big four-quadrant success with him in the lead outside franchise or physical emanciation territory is all he needs.

Taylor Kitsch decided to star in a movie based on a game where you put plastic pegs into a board for ten minutes whilst repeatedly asking "Did I hit anything?" I have no sympathy for him.

I believe Christian Bale is destined for a higher level of stardom than he's currently achieved.  

I want him to star in a comedy called "Where's The Trigger?" I don't really care what it's about. I just want him to star in it.

 

Yeah, Christian Bale.  That Batman thing was really holding him back.

Bailey - I'm serious. Bale's not pushed through to the highest level of stardom alongside people like Clooney, Pitt, Jolie, Portman, DiCaprio. No one went to see Batman because Christian Bale's name was on the poster, any more than they went to see Star Wars for Hayden Christensen. The brand and Nolan is what has made those films - not Bale as an actor. He was frankly someone around who the people you recognised - Freeman, Oldman, Caine, Neeson, Ledger - worked. It's given him a fanbase, particularly among young men, but it hasn't made him an A-List star any more than it made Clooney a star.

 

Not having to devote so much time to franchise work will help him. When you look at Bale's accomplishments - the big question is why isn't he a bigger star already? It's coming together, he's a recent Oscar winner, and has worked with the highest calibre of directors Malick, Herzog, O Russell, Mann, Nolan, and McG. Being able to be more a proper actor and less a high-end Sam Worthington-esque franchise cog will really help him. I'm sure in a couple of years, with a bit more success among films which give him recognition and credibility among a more middle aged demographic and women, he'll be at the very highest level of Hollywood. Look at Clooney post Batman and Robin - Thin Red Line, Three Kings, Perfect Storm, O Brother, Ocean's, etc. I think that's the direction Bale's career might go - further award nominations, further prestige, I'm sure he'll be working with Nolan again in blockbuster territory too.

Well said, mate. 

I hear this Funke has a lot of water-cooler buzz..

 

Bzzzt.

 

BZZZZT!

Wait... did he really slip McG in there at the end?  Holy fucking shit.

 

Come on, man. You gotta be special to be De Niro. Hall is strictly TV. Did you see GAMER? Awful.

Between winning an oscar and starring in multiple global blockbusters and working with that incredible list of directors, I guess I'm just not seeing the mountain Bale has yet to climb. The only thing Tom Cruise or Will Smith have achieved that he hasn't is they're more prone to self parody. If Bale wanted to appear in the likes of Jack Reacher, I think it's within his grasp.

 

The only thing they've achieved that he hasn't is being huge draws, which he'll never be because he comes across as too self-serioous.

Well, OK, if you say so. I guess I don't understand this thread. All of these people are immensely powerful movie stars that we'll be seeing on screen, starring in various types of movies, for the next decade or two. I mean, Reese Witherspoon is one of the biggest female stars in Hollywood, and who cares what she's up to next?