Jenna Ortega in Talks for J.J. Abrams’ New Movie

Abrams is naturally keeping most of the details under wraps, but seems to be building quite the cast for this project, which has yet to reveal a title or plotline.

Jenna Ortega as Cairo Sweet in the Psychological Thriller film, 'Miller's Girl,' a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Zac Popik.

Preview:

Jenna Ortega is reportedly in final talks for J.J. Abrams’ new film.
Glen Powell is making his own deal to star.
Warner Bros. is backing the new movie.

If we know anything about J.J. Abrams, it’s that the man loves a mystery. In fact, he became famous for his “mystery box’” filmmaking as both a director and producer.

It’s perhaps not shocking then, that much about his next movie –– his first as a director since 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ –– is being kept under wraps.

But according to Deadline, we are at least learning –– assuming it all works out –– who could end up starring, as both Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell are reportedly making deals to appear.

Can the polar bear from ‘Lost’ be far behind? Okay, probably not, but you can already sense Abrams’ old friend and frequent cinematic lucky charm Greg Grunberg waiting to see how he might be included.

What do we know about J.J. Abrams’ new movie?

(L to R) Composer Michael Giacchino and director J.J. Abrams on the set of 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.' Photo courtesy of Michael Giacchino's Twitter.

As we mention above, this one is a big ol’ mystery. No plot details have emerged (there was some chatter about it being a time travel tale, but that has since been denied) and the title remains locked in a vault somewhere.

Abrams wrote the script for the new movie and his Bad Robot company is naturally involved to produce. It’ll be released by Warner Bros’. but beyond that… your guess is as good as ours.

What else are Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell working on?

Glen Powell as Tyler in 'Twisters', directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

Ortega is in high demand of late thanks to her star-making turns in the recent ‘Scream’ outings and Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’.

Next up for her in terms of release date is a reunion with ‘Wednesday’ director Tim Burton for ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, with the supernatural comedy sequel due to premiere at the Venice Film Festival ahead of its September 6th arrival.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

"The ghost with the most is back."

PG-131 hr 45 minSep 6th, 2024

Showtimes & Tickets

After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Betelgeuse, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her... Read the Plot

She’s also part of the cast for Taika Waititi’s sci-fi pic ‘Klara and the Sun’ and Alex Scharfman’s comedy ‘Death of a Unicorn’ which also stars Paul Rudd and Will Poulter. Finally, she’s been busy shooting a second season of ‘Wednesday’.

As for Powell, he’s enjoying success on screen with ‘Twisters’, which is doing solid business. The actor has been working on comedy thriller ‘Huntington’ and will star for Edgar Wright in a remake of ‘The Running Man’ and John Lee Hancock’s legal true story ‘Monsanto’. Plus, he’s been talking of late of having been told the date he’ll need to be ready to shoot another ‘Top Gun’ movie.

When will the new Abrams movie be in theaters?

Among the many details that Abrams and co. are keeping quiet for now is any potential release date for the movie. We have to assume that someone at Abrams’ level can demand not to lock down a date until he’s ready to commit to something, though Warners will no doubt hope this can hit cinemas as soon as possible.

Jenna Ortega attends the world premiere of Netflix's 'Wednesday' on November 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix.