Glen Powell is booked and busy, and this doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. After Twisters was a big hit at the box office, the movie star has his eye on yet another big screen project. He is expected to potentially star alongside Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega in an Untitled Project from J.J. Abrams. This will likely be the filmmaker’s first feature film project as director since Star Wars.
According to Deadline, the project in question is in the early stages, and will be produced by Warner Brothers and Bad Robot Productions, Abrams’ production company. Ortega is currently in final talks to join the film, and Powell is finalizing his own deal. This movie is being kept very hush-hush, suggesting that the studio believes they have another mega blockbuster on their hands. We do know that it will not be centered around time travel, and Abrams will be writing the script. This will be a first collaboration between Ortega and the director, but a second with Powell, as the two produced The Blue Angels together.
After the success Powell and Ortega have had in recent years, teaming up with Abrams feels like a natural next step for both of them. Powell has experience starring in big budget blockbuster films, and proved in Twisters that he can take the lead in a movie like this. Ortega’s turn in the upcoming 2024 movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, will be a big indicator if she can lead her own tentpole film. However, with lead roles in Wednesday and Scream VI, we’ve already seen huge representations of the young actress’s talent.
This is a very bold career move for Powell especially, as he is certifying himself as Hollywood's premiere leading man. When he wasn’t promoting Twisters this summer, he was in South Africa shooting an A24 film titled Huntington. He is also set to star in a Hulu comedy series titled Chad Powers, which is expected to start shooting incredibly soon. Then, he is going to London to work on Edgar Wright’s Running Man, which he also will lead. With this news, I guess it will all be quickly followed by a major secret J.J. Abrams movie. It sounds like a lot, but one thing is for sure, we can get used to seeing Powell on the big screen.
As for Ortega, she also has a lot on her plate. She has her own A24 project in Death of a Unicorn coming down the pike, as well as another season of Wednesday, Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun, and a currently untitled project alongside the Weeknd. It’s hard to believe either star has enough room in their schedules to join another large-scale film, which makes me think that whatever it is, it's incredibly exciting. J.J. Abrams is one of Hollywood's buzziest directors, and it’s understandable that he would want to work with two in-demand movie stars. I can’t wait to see what this collaboration brings.
We currently don’t have a title for the film, much less a release date, so it may be a while before this film actually heads to theaters. In the meantime, you can see Glen Powell in Twisters, which is currently in theaters nationwide. Fans can also see Jenna Ortega in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice when it hits cinemas on September 6th, 2024.
