Why Hollywood’s New Action Heroes Might Just Be Born Under a Star—And Why You’ll Want To Bet On Them Now!
Added on August 1, 2025 inEntertainment News Cards, Movie News Cards
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So, picture this: our beloved action stars—Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Jason Statham, and the gang—are all cruising past the half-century mark, some way into their sixties and seventies, still kicking butt and taking names. Harrison Ford? He’s out there swinging his whip in his eighties like he’s just warmed up! Now, don’t get me wrong, respect to these legends hustling into their golden years, but here’s a burning question under today’s starry skies—where the heck are the fresh faces? The new blood to leap into explosions, car chases, and epic fight scenes without looking like they’re just trying to remember where they left their keys? With the cosmos aligned under this scrutinizing moon, the timing couldn’t be more cosmic to ask: who’s going to keep the action genre alive when these titans finally hang up their holsters?
We catch glimpses of hopefuls like Glen Powell stepping into the rebooted The Running Man, but let me tell ya, Hollywood’s been a tough nut to crack for young guns — lots of tries, few real breakthroughs. Chris Hemsworth and Ryan Gosling toss their hats in the ring but seem trapped between MCU constraints and indie whispers. Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan’s juggling the romance and thriller vibe, and Zac Efron’s yet to dive full throttle into the action pool—missed chances all around!
Ladies? Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson shine but face a rocky path marked by box office hits and misses alike. It feels like the genre’s stuck in a cosmic tug-of-war between nostalgia and the desperate need for a new era to rise.
So, in this transitional phase under the influence of a restless Mercury stirring up conversations about legacy and reinvention, Hollywood better double down on mentoring the next generation of dynamos — the clock’s ticking, and the action stage needs fresh stars ready to ignite it.
Who would you say are the best current action stars? Tom Cruise? Jason Statham? Keanu Reeves? Donnie Yen? Dwayne Johnson? Well, guess what—all of those actors are over fifty. In fact, Cruise, Reeves, and Yen are all over sixty. A few of the most legendary action stars, all of whom are still cranking out movies—like Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Liam Neeson—are well over seventy. And Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones himself, is in his eighties.
So what, you might say—people get old. Deal with it. And that’s absolutely true. But there’s a huge vacuum in Hollywood that no one really addresses: where are the younger action heroes? Who is going to pick up the mantle once the legends are gone?
Of the names listed above, I’d expect Statham, Reeves, and Cruise to keep making action movies well into their seventies and beyond. The Rock? I’m not so sure—he seems to be leaning more toward drama lately. But that begs the question: who can keep the genre going?
The truth is, we need new action heroes—people in their twenties, thirties, and forties—but the opportunities just don’t seem to be there. Granted, sometimes younger actors get a tryout. Glen Powell is about to get a massive one this November when he stars in Edgar Wright’s new version of The Running Man, which was famously turned into an Arnold Schwarzenegger action classic in 1987 (which we recently took a deep dive into). Powell – let’s not forget – was also part of the “young blood” brought in on The Expendables 3, even though at the time he didn’t make much of an impression. Powell is the right age—thirty-six—and he’s got a solid physique. The trailers are promoting his intensity, but that said, action hero launches don’t always work.
Take Chris Hemsworth. He’s one of many Marvel veterans who’s tried to parlay his comic book roles into solo action vehicles, with mixed results. He partnered up with Michael Mann for Blackhat, but it was a disaster. That said, he’s had two big action hits on Netflix with the Extraction movies. Still, with him tied up in the MCU and his only real solo successes being on streaming, it’s unclear if audiences will turn out to see him in big theatrical action movies.
Another question mark is Ryan Gosling. He dipped his toe into action with The Gray Man, but it was widely seen as underwhelming. The Fall Guy, which was intended to be his big-screen, big-action launching pad, underperformed. Gosling seems more likely to follow the Brad Pitt route—occasionally doing an action movie, but never really becoming an “action star.”
Another actor leaving a major hole is Denzel Washington. The types of movies he made—typically adult thrillers with strong action elements, especially his collaborations with Tony Scott—are almost extinct. His Equalizer trilogy leaned more heavily into the action genre, but like many of the stars on this list, he’s getting older and likely doesn’t want to spend his twilight years exclusively making action flicks.
Probably the biggest potential action star right now is Michael B. Jordan, especially after Creed III was a domestic smash hit. With him planning to team up with Will Smith for I Am Legend 2, you can easily imagine him learning a thing or two about becoming a global action icon from a guy like Smith. But Jordan doesn’t seem like someone who’s going to fully commit to the genre. He’s currently directing the latest remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, which, if it’s anything like its predecessors, will lean more romantic and cerebral than action-packed.
Still, there are plenty of capable would-be action heroes out there. Tom Hardy made Havoc for Netflix, but with him focusing on Mobland for the next few seasons, it’s unclear if he’ll have the time to go all-in on theatrical action films. Other rising stars, like Timothée Chalamet, seem too physically slight to take on the genre—though he surprised people with his take on Paul Atreides. Like Michael B. Jordan, many people think Austin Butler might have what it takes to break into the genre. He’s starring in the action-thriller Caught Stealing later this summer, and he’s heavily rumored to co-star in Heat 2.
Pedro Pascal, now fifty, also seems like a potential fit. For whatever reason, middle age still seems to be the sweet spot for male action stars. One actor who seems overdue for a shot at action hero stardom is Zac Efron. Despite his chiseled physique and onscreen charisma, he’s never really dipped his toe into the genre, which seems like a missed opportunity. Jeremy Allen White, best known for The Bear, almost starred in Sgt. Rock before the project was cancelled, but he seems more like a Steve McQueen type than a Stallone.
And how about the ladies?
Truth be told, female-led action movies have had a mixed track record at the box office. Charlize Theron is often pointed to as a standout—she was fantastic in Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde—but The Old Guard 2 recently underperformed on Netflix. In the right role, though, she still has what it takes to dominate. Many thought Ana de Armas was on her way to action stardom, but Ballerina flopped—suggesting that audiences aren’t quite ready to accept her in that role, at least not yet. Scarlett Johansson may be the brightest prospect when it comes to female action stars, but like many on this list, she doesn’t seem interested in being closely tied to the genre long-term.
Her Jurassic World Rebirth co-star, Mahershala Ali, seems to be pivoting back toward action with Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother, after growing tired of the endless delays with Blade. Meanwhile, diverse new faces like Dev Patel have shown promise, particularly with his gritty and stylish turn in Monkey Man.
The sad reality is that when a would-be action star headlines a big-budget action movie and it underperforms, they often don’t get another shot. Charlize Theron has spoken out about this—after Aeon Flux bombed, she was essentially shut out of the genre for years. And yet, look at someone like Stallone—he had a whole string of flops between Rocky and First Blood, but he kept getting chances. Arnold? Ever see Raw Deal? That tanked in 1986. One year later, he bounced back with Predator and The Running Man—both classics.
The point is, even if The Running Man doesn’t blow up Glen Powell’s career, Hollywood needs to keep doubling down on young action talent. The action genre is one of the most successful, enduring, and exportable genres in cinema. Without a new generation ready to step up, it risks fading into nostalgia—while the legends keep aging out.
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