In late April, Hulu's acclaimed dystopian tragedy series, The Handmaid's Tale, returned to the streaming service. Alongside Elisabeth Moss and Ann Dowd, Season 4 saw Mckenna Grace making an impression in a startling new recurring role. The child actress might not be a household name just yet, but the hard-working rising star continues to impress with a variety of film and television performances throughout the past few years, including another recurring role in CBS's Young Sheldon. In the months ahead, the Annabelle Comes Home actress has several high-profile projects on the horizon, including the long-awaited sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
If you're a fan of Mckenna Grace, here are the upcoming movies and TV appearances she has lined up in the coming months and beyond.
Spirit Untamed - June 4th, 2021 (Completed)
It's been 19 years since Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron roamed into theaters, but the horse-centered adventure film will soon become a series with this summer's Spirit Untamed, a CG-animated sequel that features the voice talents of Isabela Merced, Jake Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore, Walton Goggins, Eiza Gonzalez, Marsai Martin, and Mckenna Grace. Based on the Netflix animated series, Spirit Riding Free, created by screenwriter Aury Wallington, this new Spirit movie will follow a young girl named Lucky Prescott (Merced) who moves to the small town of Miradero where she meets our titular mustang and, as you would expect, immediately forms a connection. This follow-up isn't expected to break the mold, to be clear, but if you're a fan of the original movie and the sequel series, you should find yourself moved by Spirit's return to the silver screen.
Currently, Spirit Untamed is expected to be released in theaters only starting June 4th following a remote production. Mckenna Grace is expected to voice a supporting character as Abigail Stone, one of our lead character's companions.
Malignant - September 10th, 2021 (Completed)
In 2019, Mckenna Grace received one of her first major leading roles in the horror spin-off sequel, Annabelle Comes Home. The studio movie didn't make a huge splash with critics or audiences, but it did foster a working relationship between producer James Wan and the up-and-coming child star. They joined forces once more for Wan's newest horror movie, Malignant, which is expected to debut on September 10th in theaters and on HBO Max.
Details remain slim regarding this mysterious original movie from the director of Saw and The Conjuring. Considering the billion-dollar success of Aquaman, though, we should expect Malignant to be something of a blank check movie for the established horror director-producer. Certainly, it's expected to be one of the more intriguing upcoming horror movies. Alongside Mckenna Grace, Malignant will also star Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jake Abel, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Ingrid Bisu. Not much is known at the moment, but Malignant is completed and we should expect to learn more about James Wan's latest film soon.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife - November 11th, 2021 (Completed)
When there's something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? Mckenna Grace! That's right; the rising child star stars in Jason Reitman's forthcoming legacyquel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which will also star Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd, along with the return appearances of a few familiar Ghostbusters. Expected to be a more direct sequel to Ghostbusters I and II, albeit one that takes place decades later in another place and another time, Ghostbusters: Afterlife will also be more kid-centric, perhaps as a way to connect to the millions of viewers who love the '80s nostalgia of Netflix's Stranger Things. Certainly, this sequel/reboot will serve as one of Grace's most high-profile releases yet, and it should continue to expand her evolving filmography.
Following a series of delays, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is slated to hit theaters on November 11th. Following the divisive response to 2016's reboot, it's hard to know how this latest addition to the franchise will be received. But as long as the current release date sticks, we don't have too long to wait.
Crater - TBD (Filming)
Described as a coming-of-age story in the vein of Stand by Me, albeit one that takes place on a moon colony (via Deadline), Crater could prove to be another out-of-this-world hit for Disney. Slated to be released on Disney+, this new streaming title centers on a boy who grew up in a lunar colony who takes a trip to a mysterious crater along with four of his friends before he's expected to be permanently relocated to another planet. Mckenna Grace will play one of the friends who embarks on this moon-based adventure.
Currently, Crater is in the midst of production. The release date hasn't been announced, but one would assume that it's slated for release within the next year or two. Confirmation should come in the months ahead. Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (The Stanford Prison Experiment) and written by John J. Griffin (The Twilight Zone), in what will be his first produced feature screenplay, Crater could certainly be an inspired hybrid of intergalactic adventure and coming-of-age drama, but it's too early to know how it'll shape up.
Just Beyond - TBD (Announced)
Speaking of Disney+, Mckenna Grace is also signed on to star in the streaming service's upcoming supernatural anthology series, Just Beyond, which comes from creator Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). If you're thinking to yourself, "Is this the next Goosebumps?" you should know that the show is based on the best-selling graphic novel by R.L. Stine. Alongside Grace, the eight-episode streaming show is also set to star Lexi Underwood and it will tell the "astonishing and thought-provoking stories of a reality just beyond the one we know," according to Deadline.
Since each episode is expected to center around a new cast of characters who interact with all sorts of supernatural entities, including aliens, witches, ghosts, and parallel universes, Mckenna Grace and Lexi Underwood are only expected to appear in one episode, which will be directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2). It'll serve as a reunion after Gifted, Grace's breakout movie. Details are limited regarding this spooky new series. Hopefully, we'll learn more about what's in store in the months ahead.
Rabbit Cake - TBD (Announced)
Mckenna Grace is only 14, but she's already proving herself to be an exceptionally hard-working performer. The child performer has nearly 60 acting credits to her name at the time of this writing, and she's already looking to add another job to her resume: producer. That's right, Grace is expected to produce and star in the upcoming adaptation, Rabbit Cake, based on the acclaimed 2017 novel of the same name by Annie Hartnett.
Directed by Susan Johnson (To All the Boys I've Loved Before) from a screenplay written by Allie Hagan, this story centers around a young girl named Elvis Babbit (Grace) who has a mind filled with facts. Following the tragic death of her mother, Elvis decides to investigate the circumstances. In doing so, she embarks on a journey to discover her place in the world and find solace and comfort in the people (and animals) in her Alabama town.
Development on the project remains slow, but if it does come together, Mckenna Grace would be one of the youngest producers ever, as THR noted.
