Hollywood needs younger movie stars. A 2023 study by the National Research Group (NRG) asked people to name actors they would be interested in seeing a movie in theaters. The youngest actor in the top 10, Kevin Hart, is 44 years old, and the average age of the top 20 was around 57 (via Disk). Tom Holland, Margot Robbie, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are off to a promising start as stars, but they need more teammates. Just like he saved the day in “Top Gun: Maverick,” Glen Powell is billed as Hollywood’s next movie star.
Powell, 35, has all the tools to earn that title. Backed by his talent and good looks, Powell’s charisma is off the charts. He’s always the coolest guy in the room, both on and off screen. Powell has a friendliness that can’t be taught. While Leonardo DiCaprio and Denzel Washington project an aura of mystique, Powell exudes friendliness and approachability. He feels like the kind of actor who would have a beer with you at the local bar.
Powell began his career as a scene-stealing supporting actor. He is now a legitimate leading man, who can command a quote of around $5 million (via Variety). Powell’s popularity will increase in the coming months thanks to his starring roles in “Hit Man” and “Twisters.” Buy stocks now because the “Summer of Glen Powell” is here.
Glen Powell stole the show in ‘Everybody Wants Something!!’
To quote Powell’s friend and colleague from Texas. Matthew McConaughey, “Sometimes you have to go back to move forward.” Before Powell takes center stage this summer, it’s important to go back to find out when his star began to shine. Apologies to fans of “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,” “The Expendables 3” and “Scream Queens,” the role in which Powell first stood out was Finnegan in “Everybody Wants Some!!”
Serving as a spiritual sequel to “Dazed and Confused,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” by Richard Linklater. It follows a group of college baseball players in Texas during the first weekend of school in 1980. Powell’s Finnegan is one of the seniors who takes the freshmen under his wing. As expected, Powell steals the show because, once again, he’s the coolest guy in the room. It’s the first time I saw Powell and said, “Who is that guy?”
Whether I’m singing “Rapper’s delight” or conquer women by telling them about his average penisPowell’s charm is undeniable. On paper, you should hate Finnegan. He exaggerates stories, he’s good at everything and he probably gets what he wants. Everyone probably knows someone like Finnegan. However, it is impossible to hate him. Everyone, including the audience, is drawn to Powell’s magnetic performance. Finnegan in “Everyone Wants Something!!” is Powell’s version of McConaughey’s Wooderson in “Dazed and Confused.” Many, including me, left “Everybody Wants Some!!” with the same thought: Powell has it.
Hangman helps Powell reach new heights
After a small role in “Hidden Fences,” Powell proved that romantic comedies were at their peak with her charming performance in Netflix’s “Set It Up.” Powell’s reputation grew, but she needed a real breakout role in a massive movie to show audiences her A-list potential. She enters Tom Cruise and “Top Gun: Maverick.”
According to Powell, He originally auditioned for Rooster but lost the role to Miles Teller. However, Cruise asked to meet with Powell, hoping that she would still join the film. It was at this meeting that Cruise, the biggest movie star in Hollywood today, shared advice that would change the course of Powell’s career. Cruise told Powell to choose big movies, not big roles. He picks great movies and then make the role great.
Knowing that advice now, it makes sense why Powell accepted the role of the hangman in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Hangman is the sequel version of Val Vilmer’s Iceman. Hangman is the cocky and arrogant bully and Rooster’s main rival. Hangman is a jerk, but Powell’s smile and bravery are so infectious that you put up with his antics and hope he’s a hero. It is appropriate that Powell auditioned to play Han Solo because Hangman is the version of Han Solo in “Top Gun: Maverick”. Teller gets the emotional scenes in “Top: Gun Maverick,” but Powell saves the day in the film’s climax and looks great doing it.
2024 is the summer of Glen Powell
While these next few months will become the summer of Glen Powell, the last five months have also belonged to Powell thanks to the success of “Anyone but You.” While I believed “Anyone but You” would be a minor hit, I thought Sony should have moved the release date from December to Valentine’s Day.
Luckily for Powell, I’m a writer and not a studio executive. “Anyone But You” became a box office juggernaut, grossing more than $215 million on a $25 million budget. Powell and his co-star Syndey Sweeney are now two of the hottest names in Hollywood. “Anyone but You” is now reaching a massive new audience on Netflix, similar to how Jennifer Lawrence’s “No Hard Feelings” became a hit for the streamer months after its theatrical release.
Speaking of Netflix, Powell’s next film, “Hit Man,” arrives on the streaming service on June 7. Powell plays Gary Johnson, a college professor who begins working for the police as a fake hitman. Things get complicated when Gary falls in love with one of his clients, Maddy Masters (Adria Arjona).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMVLQfHj6SY
Powell co-produced and co-wrote the film with Linklater, marking their third collaboration as a star director. Early reviews of “Hit Man” have been overwhelmingly positive, with a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The first images show Powell doing what he does best: charming everyone.
A month after “Hit Man,” Powell stars in “Twisters,” the standalone sequel to 1996’s “Twisters.” Powell plays Tyler Owens, one of the featured storm chasers. In the trailer, Owens sports a cowboy hat and woos the crowd with his energy and aura. Owens then teams up with Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones) to chase the larger-than-expected storm. Edge-of-your-seat action looks promising. With good reviews, “Twisters” will likely become one of the biggest hits of summer 2024. One thing is for sure: Powell will be, you guessed it, the coolest guy in the room.
What’s next for Powell? He recently landed the lead role in the remake of Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man.” According Justin Kroll from Deadline, Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth were once considered for the role that ultimately went to Powell, cementing his status as one of the best in Hollywood. Powell is also expected to reprise his role as Hangman in “Top Gun 3.”
Powell stole scenes in ensembles and became a charming romantic comedy lead. He is now entering his blockbuster and prestige film phases. In a few years, Powell could be one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. He wouldn’t bet against it. Until then, enjoy the “Summer of Glen Powell.”
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