Summary

• Ortega and Powell, Hollywood's rising stars, are set to collaborate in J.J. Abrams' movie, marking a significant shift into sci-fi for both.
• Powell, known for action/comedy roles, and Ortega, a modern horror icon, may bring new energy to Abrams' sci-fi genre with their star power.
• While details on Abrams' secret movie remain scarce, the absence of time travel hints at a possible action-packed sci-fi blockbuster in the works.

The newly announced untitled J.J. Abrams movie looks much more appealing after casting two of the biggest rising stars in Hollywood. Abrams' latest movie is set to star both Beetlejuice sequel have made her a global phenom.

As for Abrams, he has yet to direct a feature film since filling in to complete Disney's latest Star Wars trilogy with Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. That being said, Abrams' outreach as a producer through his Bad Robot label remains widespread, having been credited as an executive producer on recent titles such as Apple's Presumed Innocent, HBO's Westworld, and the recently released Amazon series Batman: Caped Crusader. Abrams was also a producer of Amazon's The Blue Angels documentary along with Powell, which may have sparked their next collaboration.

Jenna Ortega & Glen Powell Would Be An Exciting Pair For JJ Abrams' Movie

Ortega and Powell are two of the hottest names in Hollywood right now

Powell is currently locked in the action/romantic comedy space while Ortega has found momentum as one of the latest faces of modern horror.

Powell and Ortega would be an exciting collaboration in a J.J. Abrams movie just based on face value alone. Apart from them both being highly in-demand and recognizable phenoms, neither actor has really stepped into the realm of true sci-fi, which is of course Abrams' claim to fame. Similar to Robert Pattinson's recent trek into the sci-fi genre with Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17, Ortega and Powell could presumably leap into a brand new genre together with one of the most significant sci-fi directors of all time. Powell is currently locked in the action/romantic comedy space while Ortega has found momentum as one of the latest faces of modern horror.

While Abrams' movie is heavily under wraps to a similar level of secrecy as his "Loose Lips Bring Down Starships" Force Awakens campaign, there's a fairly decent chance that it will belong in the sci-fi genre based on his directorial track record. The last feature directed by Abrams that wasn't sci-fi was 2006's Mission: Impossible III, although his Super 8 (2011) starring Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler blended multiple genres such as sci-fi, action, and thriller. It's more likely that Abrams will retain Powell's star power in action movies than lean into Ortega's horror hype, which could result in Ortega's first proper action role.

What We Know About JJ Abrams' Secret Movie

The film is likely to be a sci-fi action but nothing is confirmed

Ortega and Powell will get a taste of the sci-fi genre with near-future projects that could add some momentum to their potential big-budget sci-fi blockbuster with Abrams.

The movie is being called a "secret" for a reason, so there's nothing we can do but speculate about what the project could possibly be. Ortega has shown some signs of expanding outside of the horror genre already with her lead role in Taika Waititi's sci-fi drama Klara and the Sun alongside Amy Adams, Simon Baker, and Natasha Lyonne. Apart from that, she's attached to two horror-adjacent projects: Death of a Unicorn alongside Paul Rudd and Will Poulter and an untitled Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night, Waves) film which is set to star Barry Keoghan and pop singer The Weeknd.

As for Powell, his Twisters is still whirling up a storm at the box office, setting its sights on $300 million worldwide. He's currently filming John Patton Ford's (Emily the Criminal) comedy thriller with Margaret Qualley and Bill Camp and is also set to star in a modern adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man with Baby Driver director Edgar Wright, which leans into dystopian sci-fi quite heavily. It could turn out that both Ortega and Powell will get a taste of the sci-fi genre with near-future projects that could add some momentum to their potential big-budget sci-fi blockbuster with Abrams.

Deadline confirmed that Abrams' secret movie will not contain time travel elements.

Jenna Ortega & Glen Powell Previously Worked Together (Kind Of)

They were both voice actors on Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous

If you wanted to say that Ortega and Powell previously worked together as voice actors in the animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, you'd be correct. But that hardly matches the magnitude of the two superstars coming together in a J.J. Abrams blockbuster. The only known movie that Abrams has worked on that has yet to be made is the sequel to 2008's Cloverfield, for which he has a writing attachment, but that film has been stuck in development hell since the original was released. It's wise for J.J. Abrams to keep his cards close to his chest for his first film since Star Wars 9, especially since there will be plenty of Powell and Ortega in the meantime.