It List spring movie guide: Michael B. Jordan, Florence Pugh and the stars stepping out of their comfort zones with new movies
Welcome to the It List Spring Guide, where we share our picks for the best in entertainment. Catch the weekly It List here for the latest releases that we can't wait to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge.
Spring isn't quite blockbuster season, but it isn't awards season either. Movies released in this time frame often fall into a hard-to-define middle ground. For that reason, it can be the perfect time for actors to try something new.
Whether they're prestigious award winners dabbling in action films or internet darlings trying gritty new roles, we rounded up the stars who seem to be challenging their comfort zone.
Will Poulter is everywhere
Will Poulter and Daisy Edgar-Jones in On Swift Horses. (Sony Pictures Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Upcoming projects: Death of a Unicorn is in theaters March 28, Warfare is in theaters April 11 and On Swift Horses is in theaters April 25.
What to know: It'll be tricky to go to the theaters this season and not see a poster with Will Poulter's face on it. He's starring in a horror comedy, a war drama and a historical romance that all hit theaters in March and April.
How these roles are different: Poulter has come a long way from playing the goofy younger brother in We're the Millers. He's still goofy at times, but this spring, he's out to prove that he can be an action star and a romantic villain, too.
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai can do it all
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai attends the premiere of Warfare. (Stewart Cook/A24 via Getty Images)
Upcoming projects: Hell of a Summer opens in theaters on April 4 and Warfare opens in theaters on April 11.
What to know: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai stands out in two ensemble casts for vastly different reasons: In a satirical slasher set at a summer camp, he's a whimsical cool kid. In a gritty drama based on a true story of warfare, he's stoic in the face of unimaginable horrors.
How these roles are different: Woon-A-Tai made a name for himself in the dramedy series Reservation Dogs, but as he told Yahoo Entertainment, as his star rises, he doesn't want to be pinned down to any one genre.
Finn Wolfhard is in his auteur era
Finn Wolfhard in Hell of a Summer. (Neon/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Upcoming project: Hell of a Summer is in theaters April 4.
What to know: Best known for playing a teenager terrorized by evil forces in franchises like Ghostbusters, Stranger Things and It, Finn Wolfhard knows a thing or two about horror. He stars in the satirical slasher Hell of a Summer, which he also co-wrote and co-directed.
How this role is different: Wolfhard's acting in Hell of a Summer references many of his past characters, but he's out to prove that he's mastered horror enough to satirize it both in front of and behind the camera.
Viola Davis is undefinable
Viola Davis in G20. (Ilze Kitshoff/Amazon Prime Video/Courtesy Everett Collection)
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Upcoming projects: G20 starts streaming on Prime Video April 10.
What to know: Viola Davis stars as the president of the United States who must defend her family when terrorists take over the G20 summit in South Africa. We'll be seeing her doing a lot of stunts in a gorgeous red dress.
How this role is different: As Timothée Chalamet said, Davis is one of the greats. She doesn't have to prove anything — though she's currently making the case that she can do anything any time.
Meghann Fahy gets gritty
Meghann Fahy in Drop. (Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Upcoming project: Drop is in theaters April 11.
What to know: Meghann Fahy stole the show in The Perfect Couple and The White Lotus playing sublimely cool women with a knack for leisure. In Drop, she plays against type as a nervous widowed mother who's terrorized by mysterious messages.
How this role is different: Instead of playing a deliciously wealthy person with a dark twist, she's leading with darkness, launching her bid to escape typecast purgatory.
Rami Malek returns to action
Rami Malek in The Amateur. (John Wilson/20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Upcoming projects: The Amateur is in theaters April 11.
What to know: Rami Malek plays a CIA cryptographer who embarks on a one-man mission to avenge his wife's death in The Amateur — his first lead role since playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.
How this role is different: Deciding what to do with your time after winning an Oscar is an exciting problem to have. He's played a Bond villain before, but Malek is out to prove he can lead an action flick.
Michael B. Jordan plays the villain
Michael B. Jordan attends the premiere of The Fire Inside in 2024. ()
Upcoming projects: Sinners opens in theaters April 18.
What to know: We don't know much about Sinners yet, besides the fact that Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers, and in the trailer, at least one of them appears to be a vampire.
How this role is different: Jordan played a villain in Black Panther, but it's been a while since we've done anything but root for him onscreen. We'll see if he can escape his own likeability and take a sinister turn — or if we'll keep rooting for him in his newfound villainy.
Florence Pugh powers up
Florence Pugh in Thunderbolts*. (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
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Upcoming projects: Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2.
What to know: This isn't Florence Pugh's first Marvel movie, but it's her first time leading one. Thunderbolts* is about a group of antiheroes on a dangerous mission.
How to watch them: We know Pugh can win accolades and boost a blockbuster ensemble, but this could be a career-defining role that sends her on a path similar to Scarlett Johansson's — ping-ponging between prestige roles and box office hits.
The Weeknd goes Hollywood
The Weeknd at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. (Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
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I was quite embarrassed because I would always break, and I would wait for the camera to turn to the other actor, and then I would break and come back.' 12 Nathan Fillion, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar on the CBS sitcom. ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection 'But I was terrible so I'm apologizing to everyone,' he added. 'We were very lucky to have a really loving and happy set for 12 years.' These days, the 'Criminal: UK' star is still in touch with 'everyone,' explaining that their bond is one for the books. 'You can't go through a run like that without being [close],' confessed Nayyar. 'I spent more time with them than I did with my actual family. So I'm in touch with everyone. We are all still very close.' 12 'The Big Bang Theory.' ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection Although, don't expect this cast to have a text chain. 'It's individual text,' Nayyar teased, 'I have like 70 family group chats, so no more group chats!' Over the years, the tech creator has taken on a variety of roles but has one genre in mind that he'd be open to exploring next. 'I would love to do true crime detective, badass kind of work,' revealed Nayyar. 'Just to explore that world, obviously, because I played one specific character on television for so long. I did a TV show on Netflix called 'Criminal: UK.' I got nominated for a BAFTA for that. I did a show for Apple called 'Suspicion.' I did a movie called 'A.J. Fikry.' Predominantly, mostly dramatic work, but it's something different and nice to explore.' 12 Laura Spencer, Kunal Nayyar in 'The Big Bang Theory.' ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection Nayyar also shared who his dream co-star would be, although he couldn't pick just one. 'If Philip Seymour Hoffman were alive, he'd be my greatest guest star of all time,' Nayyar detailed. 'I love Jeffrey Wright, Tom Hanks, all the classic actors who I really, really look up to. I would love to work opposite of.' Along with being a seasoned actor, Nayyar is proving he's more like his on-screen character than some may think, having created the new app IQ121 (pronounced IQ One-Two-One). 'I think all of us actors will admit that we bring aspects of our personality to all the characters we play,' Nayyar said about playing Raj. 'If that means a part of me is nerdy, I am happy to accept it.' 12 Kunal Nayyar's new app designed to help individuals, families and professionals organize, manage and safely store essential life documents and digital assets. 12 Kunal Nayyer in season 2 of 'Criminal: UK.' ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection 12 Kunal Nayyar in 'Criminal: UK.' ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Biggest similarities, there are quite a few, obviously,' he expanded. 'Obviously, we are very different in real life. I have no issues talking to women. I've been married a long time now, but there are a lot of similarities. I am obsessed with 'Star Wars,' I am a big comic book nerd; there are many ways in which we are similar, and of course, there are many ways in which we are different.' When it comes to putting his all into this work, as long as their is a creative outlet involved that he's passionate about – Nayyar is all in. 'I don't really differentiate between creating an app or acting – for me, it's all a creative process,' he shared. 'I love the idea of creating this app, and I love the idea of being on set and shooting a movie or shooting a TV series, so I don't think there is one or another. I feel, in my heart, I am going to do it with the purest energy I can.' 12 Kunal Nayyar in 'The Storied Life of AJ Fikry.' Vertical Entertainment 12 Kunal Nayyar. Vertical Entertainment Nayyar's new app, meanwhile, was created while he was on a flight from London to Los Angeles, thinking of all the info he needed to get his parents before he booked their trip. 'IQ121 was actually born because I live between Los Angeles, London and New Delhi, and I have family scattered all over the world,' he explained. 'And every time I needed to book a flight for my parents to come visit me, it's like, 'Can you please scan your passport? Can I get your license? I've got to fill this out. So, I was like, why don't we have one place, a digital storehouse for the family, where we can create a place that is safe and encrypted for us to share sensitive documents.' In this day and age of technology, it's more important than ever to have a safe and easy space to access and share documents, as well as pictures and personal information. 12 Kunal Nayyar attends the Royal Film Performance and Global Premiere of 'Gladiator II.' Getty Images for Paramount Pictures 'That is sort of how this came together,' he added. 'For me, it was more out of a necessity. I was like we need to create something so families scattered all over the world [can access it]. This is exactly why I created this and why it's very important for our times.' Nayyar hopes users will use IQ121 for years to come for a multitude of reasons. 'It's not just a digital storehouse for sensitive, familial documents; it's also a place [where] you can upload photographs and memories. I hope ultimately it becomes a digital file you can then hand down to generations in the family.'
