Summary
High-octane, nostalgia-driven movies have fueledGlen Powell’s seemingly meteoric rise, but his new remake plan continues a potentially dangerous trend for the actor. It was recently announced thatPowell would star in a remake ofBackdraft, the 1991 thriller starring Kurt Russell. While the project promises to bring attention back to a somewhat forgotten thriller, the movie also means that Glen Powell is continuing to pursue a particular type of movie role – something I’d like to see him move away from.
Glen Powell is the embodiment of an ’80s or ’90s leading man. His Texas swagger resembles Hollywood actors from years past, so it is no wonder that much ofhis recent filmography includes reboots or callbacks to older blockbusters.Top Gun: MaverickandTwisters, like their predecessors, are old-school popcorn flicks. However, as much as I and millions of others have enjoyed Powell’s performances in these legacy sequels, there’s no denying that they represent a potentially problematic career trend.
Glen Powell’s 10 Best Movie Performances, Ranked
Glen Powell’s career has featured some impressively diverse performances, although some films have been more successful than others.
Backdraft Continues Glen Powell’s Trend of Remakes and Sequels to 1980s and ’90s Movies
Powell Risks Being Typecast
The recent announcements that Powell would star inremakes ofBackdraftandThe Running Mancontinue his trend of choosing updates of older movies. While I firmly believe the vehicles suit Powell,I think he should step away from remakes and rebootsbecause his previous work has shown that he is more than capable of starring in movies that aren’t based on nostalgia-driven IP. Powell should not be afraid to step away from the throwbacks and stand on his charisma and talents in original works.
Powell needs to balance familiar projects and original projects that challenge him and allow him to grow as an artist.
I am not saying that Powell should never appear in another remake or sequel. They are fun, audiences love them, and they can sometimes breathe new life into a familiar story. However, he may be limited to a specific genre if he relies too heavily on them for his career. Powell needs to balance familiar projects and original projects that challenge him and allow him to grow as an artist. Glen Powell is talented, and I want to see him shine as much as possible in projects that aren’t grounded in past glories.
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Glen Powell’s Movies Are Great, But Hopefully, He Makes More Original Ones
Glen Powell Has Great Comedic Timing
Netflix’sHit Man, while loosely based on a true story,is a prime example of an original idea that allowed Powell to shine.Glen Powell has displayed excellent comedic timing inHit Manand even as far back as Fox’sScream Queens.It would be unfortunate to see him boxed into action-hero roles because I believe he has so much more to offer. Powell is credited as a co-writer onHit Man, and the movie’s success proves he should continue to write innovative characters for himself.
I’ve enjoyed all kinds of Glen Powell performances. His charm radiates off the screen inTop Gun: Maverickand he’s highly believable in those types of roles. However, they are not the only movies he can make. As he showed inHit Man, he is more than capable of playing multiple different characters and adding nuance to all of them.Powell effortlessly switches between 9 different personalities inHit Man. His switch from Gary to Ron shows how he can quickly imbue characters with different traits while maintaining comedic elements – something that shouldn’t be limited to remakes.
Glen Powell’s work in films likeTop Gun: MaverickandTwistershas been excellent, and I’m sure he will continue to do great work inBackdraftandThe Running Man. However, I believe he must continue to explore work where he gets to showcase a broader range of characters.It would be a shame to typecast him as just an action starwhen he has so much more to offer. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll see Glen Powell take on more original roles that allow him to showcase his acting talents fully.
Twisters' Success Could Push Glen Powell To Make More Remakes
Twisters Is A Major Box Office Hit
There is now a potential financial incentive for Glen Powell to continue pursuing 80s and 90s action remakes. The success ofTop Gun: Maverickwas great for his career, butTwistersbecame the true test of his star power as the lead of a legacy sequel, reboot, or remakeof a familiar property. I was certainly optimistic that it would be a successful movie for Powell and catapult him to another level of fame.Twisters' box office openingexceeded every projection on its way to making over $80 million domestically, nearly doubling the original’s performance.
Glen Powell as a true action movie star was somewhat of a hypothetical before, butTwistersproves that he has what it takes to draw in crowds for major blockbusters. This is undoubtedly good news forBackdraftand other remakes that he is currently working on. Studios will only be more eager to make these projects and capitalize on the hot streak that Powell is on. That’s why it will not surprise me if additional franchises and 80s/90s IP looking for reinvention come calling. The actor’s interest in maintaining this new spotlight could lead to even more remakes afterTwisters.
Glen Powell’s Next Movie Is Another Original Movie
More Remakes Are Coming After
My concerns that Glen Powell will only make action movie remakes likeTwistersorBackdraftmoving forward can be momentarily calmed thanks to his next project, though. It is confirmed that his next movie isHuntington, a new, original crime thriller by director John Patton Ford (Emily Criminal), in whichPowell plays the heir to a massive family fortune. The A24 movie, which recently began filming, is expected to debut sometime in 2025. While there are many otherupcoming Glen Powell movies, none of them are filming right now and should be ready for release beforeHuntington.
Glen Powell’s future is still predominantly tied to the 80s and 90s
It is certainly reassuring to know that Glen Powell is not only going to make remakes or sequels to 80s/90s movies going forward and will still make original movies likeHuntington. That said, the concerns are still valid considering his other confirmed upcoming projects are primarily remakes. WithBackdraftandThe Running Manremakesstill to come, as well asTop Gun 3and maybe even anotherTwisters,Glen Powell’s future is still predominantly tied to the 80s and 90s. I just hope these don’t become the majority of projects he makes from now on.
