The stars who belong on your movie-going radar this summer

In 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Power Of The Dog were released one month apart. The roles Benedict Cumberbatch played in the films, a spell-wielding superhero and a closeted gay cowboy, respectively, were light years apart. Such versatility of the hallmark of the 45-year-old London-born actor, who once wrote a 30,000-word college dissertation on Stanley Kubrick. Cumberbatch has brought a fierce intelligence to a wide range of movie and TV characters, including Sherlock Holmes (which earned him four Emmy nominations and one win), World War II codebreaker Alan Turing (the first of his two Oscar nominations), and the tragically troubled and prodigiously self-medicated Patrick Melrose (which brought him a BAFTA for Best Actor)But it’s his portrayal of the Sorcerer Supreme that has afforded him the most worldwide recognition. Cumberbatch has played the part in six Marvel movies, the latest being  Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Thankfully, as someone who has played both Hamlet and Frankenstein’s creature to great acclaim on stage, the restless Cumberbatch isn’t just sitting around waiting for the next Marvel payday. The English gentleman with the sui generis visage will continue demonstrating his dramatic dexterity: Next up, he plays the title role in Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar followed by Netflix’s contemporary reimagining of John Buchan’s 1915 novel The 39 Steps. [Mark Keizer]

Future Hollywood historians will debate at which point Zac Efron: High School Musical Hunk became Zac Efron: Serious Actor. Some will argue the transition began with Lee Daniels’ 2012 drama The Paperboy, co-starring Nicole Kidman. Others will cite 2013’s Parkland, where he played the first doctor to treat the mortally wounded President Kennedy. Whatever history decides, there’s one thing we can all agree on right now: Efron is for real, even as he juggles more serious roles (including his revelatory performance as Ted Bundy in ) with lighter fare (see: Baywatch).Firestarter looks to be somewhere in the middle. In this second big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1980 novel, helmed by Keith Thomas, the former teen idol takes his biggest risk yet, playing a father (gasp!) whose pyrokinetic daughter is being pursued by a shadowy government agency (is there any other kind?). As Efron proved earlier this year in the dystopian drama , he is not afraid to dirty himself up and play against his youthful good looks. So as long as he continues choosing quality projects (look for him in the next film from Green Book helmer Peter Farrelly) and avoiding the rom-com trap, Efron will further distance himself from the tyranny of Troy Bolton. [Mark Keizer]

Fresh off her Academy Award nomination for , Jessie Buckley is taking on the daunting task of leading not only Alex Garland’s first film since but one of A24's more highly-anticipated horror outings in a while. There’s no one better than Buckley for the task, of course. Known for her work in Charlie Kaufman’s cerebral I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, as well as for elite TV series like Fargo and Chernobyl, Buckley has proven herself a formidable force when paired with roles that offer thought-provoking opportunities for tender performance. Better still, in Men, she plays opposite the equally fierce Rory Kinnear whose background in stage acting makes him a uniquely well-suited partner for Buckley’s style of grounded reactivity.Garland is a divisive director and Men is sure to be a divisive film (from the title alone!). But if anyone can unify audiences in a stellar performance, it’s Buckley. She’s expected back on the big screen later this year in writer-director Sarah Polley’s adaptation of author Miriam Toews’ novel Women Talking. That project is in post-production as we speak, and is set to also include Frances McDormand, Ben Whishaw, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and more A-list actors in a story about Mennonite women uncovering a horrible conspiracy in their town. [Alison Foreman]

The era of movie mega-stardom might be fading amid distractingly numerous other entertainment options and a system that favors IP over faces. Then again, there are still remnants of that once-mystical notion—take Tom Cruise, a perennial Hollywood powerhouse and bona-fide movie star who’s steered his career towards the action genre almost exclusively in the last decade, mostly through the ongoing Mission: Impossible franchise. If the initial reactions out of CinemaCon and various other tastemaker screenings are any indication, his long-delayed will put the mogul in the spotlight once more through a generous dose of ’80s nostalgia and his always enthralling presence as a muscular actor known to do most of his own stunts. The sequel we didn’t know we needed to Tony Scott’s deliciously cheesy 1986 action classic, Maverick promises us a reunion with Cruise’s rascally Lieutenant Mitchell and a brand new, sun-kissed (and shirtless) sports scene, an iconic moment of the original Top Gun revived more than three decades later. Count us in! [Tomris Laffly]

Thanks to the brilliant comedic mind that is Joel Kim Booster, the summer film release slate is getting a much-needed boost (sorry, I had to). Audiences who may not be familiar with the actor-writer-producer are in for a treat with his Hulu and Searchlight rom-com Fire Island. Booster’s tale of a week in the eponymous queer utopia was inspired by both his own experiences as a gay Asian man and, in a stroke of genius, Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice. The film is as shrewd as Booster himself, blending laugh-out-loud line readings from the likes of Bowen Yang and Margaret Cho with the kind of swoony-silly rom-com fare that queer audiences don’t usually get to see themselves reflected in. (Thank you, Joel, for casting the gorgeous Conrad Ricamora!) It’s wonderful that a groundbreaking film like this one doubles as an introduction to Booster’s artistic sense, and sensibilities. [Jack Smart]

While most of us weren’t looking, Bryce Dallas Howard became one of the most accomplished and versatile genre superstars around. Since dyeing her hair blonde to play Gwen Stacy in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, Howard has appeared in one Terminator film, a Twilight installment, three Jurassic World big-screen adventures, and has directed episodes of Disney+’s The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. In , Howard reprises her role as Claire, the dinosaur park’s former operations manager and creator of the Dinosaur Protection Group.Howard, who was given the middle name Dallas after the city where she was conceived (weird, right?), got her big break when M. Night Shyamalan cast her in 2004’s The Village after seeing her off-Broadway in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, even though her performance was panned by the New York Times. Undeterred, Howard began killing it in films by directors like Clint Eastwood (Hereafter), Lars von Trier (Manderlay), and Tate Taylor (The Help) before launching her own helming career. Currently preparing to direct a reboot of the 1986 adventure Flight Of The Navigator, Howard is so gifted in her own right we didn’t even have to mention that she’s the daughter of Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (although technically we just did). [Mark Keizer]

Another Chris-crossed movie season is upon us, but for once, Evans’ moment in the spotlight isn’t in his now-retired Captain America role, or indeed in front of a camera at all. Stepping behind the mic to fill the iconic spaceboots of one Buzz Lightyear, Evans is a 2022 star to hear rather than watch. In Pixar’s highly anticipated don’t-call-it-an-origin-story tale from , Buzz maroons his fellow Star Command members on a hostile planet and embarks on a twisty sci-fi adventure with unforeseen consequences relating to space, time, and—because it’s Pixar—heart-tugging emotion.You may do a double take hearing Evans’ work in the animated film—at first it sounds just like the character’s original voice actor, Tim Allen. But this younger, more psychologically nuanced version of Buzz is a perfect match for Evans, who can find the sweet spot between heroic and sardonic like few others. He can be cheesy, knowing full well he’s being cheesy, and he excels at daring audiences to resist his charms. P.S.: fans hoping for Evans to return to the MCU should take solace in the fact that he’s soon assembling again with Anthony and Joe Russo in the upcoming thriller The Gray Man. [Jack Smart]

Ethan Hawke has been traipsing in and out of scary movies for years, appearing in , Taking Lives, both Sinisters, and the very first Purge. But The Black Phone, which credits Hawke as only “The Grabber,” promises to be the actor’s most fearsome performance yet—sure to make or break his icon status within the genre. Adapted from Joe Hill’s 2004 short story of the same name, this supernatural horror flick follows the hellish journey of Finney Shaw (Mason Thames), a young boy taken from his suburban neighborhood by a masked serial killer.Directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), who co-wrote the script with C. Robert Cargill, The Black Phone combines supernatural elements with grounded antagonism, making it one of the more talked-about releases ahead of the summer. That’s largely because of Hawke, whose role as an antagonist feels like a fresh challenge, even for an actor who’s been beloved by audiences dating back to Dead Poets Society. We can’t wait to see him don that creepy mask and top hat, but we’re scared/excited for what happens when they come off. [Alison Foreman]

Breathing fresh life into the complicated legacy of rock icon Elvis Presley is a tremendously tough task. But with the effervescent style of director Baz Lurhmann and the total commitment of star Austin Butler (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), anything is possible. In this musical biopic, fittingly titled just Elvis, Butler channels the larger-than-life existence of a poor kid from Mississippi who would one day become known as the King of Rock and Roll. Judging just by the trailer and the performer’s own musical background, Butler seems to have the stage presence to pull off the glitzy showbiz half of Elvis’ history. But the more political side of the pop culture icon presents an intriguing challenge to Butler and the project. Following Elvis, Butler is expected to appear in as antagonist Feyd-Rautha. [Alison Foreman]

If you’re a diva-worshipping cinephile like me, you watched the first 1 minute and 22 seconds of the asking the urgent question: “But where is Natalie Portman??” Then there she was, holding the mythical hammer Mjolnir, decked out like the Viking warrior we didn’t know we wanted her to be. That one glimpse of Jane Foster in Thor’s getup is enough to label her the breakout performer of Taika Waititi’s wildly anticipated follow-up to 2017’s .It was an unexpected development announced months ago, especially since Portman’s Marvel tenure was considered over after her absence from Ragnarok (and an extremely brief glimpse in Avengers: Endgame). But, of course, it’s a brilliant move—if an Oscar-winning mega-talent is willing to shoot lightning at CGI-powered foes, you gotta bring her back to do so. Now can we give some of the other prestige actresses who appear as love interests in Marvel movies—Rachel McAdams, Lupita Nyong’o, et al.—this superheroic treatment? [Jack Smart]

Some of this summer’s stars have already become Hollywood boilerplate, while others are just waiting to be minted. Daisy Edgar-Jones falls squarely into the latter category, after receiving Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, and British Academy nominations for her turn in the BBC Three/Hulu limited series , and appearing in acclaimed shows like War Of The Worlds and films like . With Where The Crawdads Sing, Edgar-Jones has a shot at catapulting to a bigger level of stardom, while simultaneously giving the same kind of complex, nuanced performances that made her so watchable in those earlier projects.In Crawdads, Edgar-Jones plays Catherine “Kya” Clarke, a young woman who raises (and educates) herself in 1950s and early ’60s rural North Carolina, much to the estrangement of locals distrustful of her quiet inquisitiveness. After branding her “Marsh girl,” those same townies immediately assume she’s guilty when a young man she was reportedly dating dies under possibly homicidal circumstances. Under the skillful direction of filmmaker Olivia Newman, Edgar-Jones not only communicates the character’s deep well of sorrow, loneliness, and pain, but also her intelligence and resilience as she seeks the handful of friendly connections that keep her from succumbing completely to the boggy mysteries of the marshes where she lives. [Todd Gilchrist]

Keke Palmer is having a career breakout of late, and the meme queen deserves it. Countless TV guest roles, including her Emmy-winning Turnt Up With The Taylors just last year, an ever-growing résumé of producing podcasts and onscreen projects, and being one of the most irresistible comic personalities on the talk show circuit—and now finally her first leading role in a major film, Jordan Peele’s sure-to-be-a-hit Nope. Whoever realized Palmer’s wry sense of humor could be a perfect match for Peele’s horrific comedy deserves a casting award (surely it was Peele himself).Just watching Palmer being tossed into the air by an unknown supernatural, possibly extraterrestrial force in the film’s trailer should be enough to have us lining up on Nope’s opening weekend. But, as always with Palmer, there’s much more, including her hilarious voice work on Pixar’s Lightyear and Netflix’s , a judge gig on Legendary, new music for the first time in years, and another leading role in a 2022 festival breakout, Alice? The universe, and Hollywood, is finally giving this shining star her due. [Jack Smart]

It seems only yesterday that Brad Pitt was busy owning the summer, given the pop cultural pause foisted upon the world by the pandemic. But if his award-winning turn as the rakish Cliff Booth in 2019’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood fit many of the star’s most appealing qualities hand-in-glove, Sony’s action comedy looks to give audiences a fresh, lively repackaging of one type of role which has proven rewarding and commercially successful in his career: a sartorially distinct, slightly bewildered figure navigating, at once actively and defensively, a world foreign to him.In director David Leitch’s adaptation of author Kōtarō Isaka’s Maria Beetle, Pitt portrays a contract killer wanting to leave his line of work. However, tasked with retrieving a briefcase aboard a high-speed Japanese railway line, he soon finds himself violently at odds with a colorful array of other assassins. The trailer, set to a multilingual cover version of the Bee Gees hit “Stayin’ Alive,” features all manner of hand-to-hand mayhem and the kind of arch framing at which Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2) has proven quite skilled. Pitt leaning into one of his most enduring personas—a goofball with “a very special set of skills”—seems to augur a crowd-pleasing ride. [Brent Simon]

Comedians making the leap from TV to feature work are a dime a dozen, but Jo Koy seems uniquely poised to be one of this summer’s breakout stars with his first lead role in Easter Sunday—released not in April but the first weekend of August. His appearance in Las Vegas generated excitement for both the film and for him as a performer whose material carries a thrilling cultural specificity while also connecting with audiences of all backgrounds.In Easter Sunday, the Filipino-American comedian plays a loosely-fictionalized version of himself as he comes home to visit his relatives on what he calls “the Super Bowl of holidays” for Filipino families. Director Jay Chandrasekhar, best known for his work with comedy troupe Broken Lizard, shepherds Koy through a day full of parental expectations, intra-familial conflicts, and marathon karaoke sessions. If the film is anywhere as funny as he is on stage, it promises to be one of the summer’s best comedies, and a great calling card for the proper launch of Koy’s film career. [Todd Gilchrist]