Predicting the breakout actors of 2022

“Scream” is an indelible horror franchise, so much so they’ve decided to reboot it in 2022. If we know anything about horror franchises, it likely won’t be the last one of this new batch. Barrera, who has largely worked in Spanish-language film and television, is the first name in the credits of the new movie. Could she be the Neve Campbell of this new series? Other than, you know, Neve Campbell, who is also in it.

Kravitz has some name recognition, and not just because her dad is Lenny Kravitz. She did get to star in Hulu’s remake of “High Fidelity,” but that only lasted one season and wasn’t watched all that much. However, she’s about to be Catwoman in the new Batman movie. Kravitz is about to go from a name some people know to a legitimate movie star.

The “Doctor Strange” sequel has the expected names on the top of the credits, and then there’s Gomez. She will be playing America Chavez, which will have some Marvel fans excited. It’s a big step up from Netflix’s “The Babysitter’s Club” to a notable role in a Marvel movie.

Powell has been on the verge of a breakout for a bit. He stood out in Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some!!” and was in Netflix rom-com “Set It Up.” That being said, he hasn’t had a movie come out since 2018. When “Top Gun: Maverick” finally comes out, it will get Powell back in people’s minds, and maybe give him that breakout movie role.

Admittedly, last time we did this exercise we also had Butler on this list. It was for the same movie too. Butler is playing Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s movie that costars Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. Like a lot of movies, it got pushed back, but when “Elvis” drops, it will be big for Butler.

Steven Spielberg is making a family drama called “The Fabelmans” that is a very thinly-veiled version of his own life. He’s cast Michelle Williams and Paul Dano has his parent surrogates, but it’s LaBelle who is playing Sammy Fabelman, Spielberg’s analog in his movie.

Whether or not you liked “La La Land,” Damian Chazelle’s movie was a huge hit and an Oscar darling (even if it memorably didn’t win Best Picture). His new film “Babylon” seems to be about early Hollywood. Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie costar, with Robbie playing silent film star Clara Bow. Li, meanwhile, will be playing Anna May Wong, one of the first Asian-American stars in Hollywood. It could be a showy role, the kind that gets Oscar buzz.

Ava DuVernay has developed a superhero TV show for The CW based on a book co-written by Brian Michael Bendis. That’s a lot of cache. “Naomi” will be starring Walfall as the titular character. She’s about to become a CW star, which isn’t the highest level of stardom but is definitely a breakout for an unknown actor.

Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton Abbey” is now doing “The Gilded Age” for HBO. It has a lot of the same vibes but is set in 1880s New York. It’s an impressive cast, but keep an eye on Jacobson as the breakout star. This will be her television debut, but her family lineage says she should be just fine. Jacobson does not use her last name, Gummer, professionally like her sisters Mamie and Grace. Of course, if you know anything about the Gummers, you know their mother: Meryl Streep.

The “Jack Reacher” movies starring Tom Cruise weren’t huge hits, but they were successful. He is a popular character, and now Reacher is getting a show on Amazon Prime. Ritchson will be starring in the film, and it should make some fans of the books happy. In the books, Reacher is a notable large man, which is not how one would describe Cruise. Ritchson is 6’2’’ and played Aquaman on “Smallville.”

They’ve decided to reboot “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” because, well, why not? It already has a two-season order on Peacock, so it’s going to get some run. The original show shot Will Smith to stardom. Will it do the same for Banks, who is stepping into Smith’s role, a character that is still literally named “Will Smith?”

The cast list for “Winning Time,” the HBO show about the ‘80s Los Angeles Lakers, was a lot of fun. There’s John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss, Adrien Brody as Pat Riley, Michael Chiklis as Red Auerbach, and more. Of course, there are also the basketball players, which meant they needed actors who could plausibly look like NBA stars. Isaiah, for example, was cast as Magic Johnson, which should be a huge role.

We may be a bit past the peak of the popularity of “Halo,” the video game sensation. Still, a TV show adapted from the game is going to draw attention, even on Paramount+.  Schreiber has worked for a while as a character actor, but he’s the lead of “Halo,” which is definitely a major step up.

“Interview with a Vampire” was big for Anne Rice, basically making her career. It was also a successful film for Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Now, it’s being turned into a TV show for AMC. Reid will be playing Lestat, which is a meaty role he can really…sink his teeth into.

A Disney+ “Star Wars” show is a good place to be if you want to become a star. “Andor” is focused on Cassius Andor, Diego Luna’s character from “Rogue One.” Obviously, it’s a prequel. We don’t know who most of the cast is playing yet, but Arjona is one of the leads, and she’s the one with the most breakout potential.

Will Amazon’s super-expensive “Lord of the Rings” show be a success? We aren’t betting against it. Most of the cast doesn’t have a character attached to their name, but Clark does. We know she’s playing Galadriel, which is a notable role in that story. It’s enough to give us confidence in her star rising.

Sure, Maslany has an Emmy, but how many people do you know that watched “Orphan Black?” Do you even know what channel it was on? That’s no knock on Maslany, who is a really good actor (and a fun podcast guest). We’re just saying playing She-Hulk is going to take her from a talented, unsung actor to a big star in the Marvel universe. Oh, and “Orphan Black” aired on BBC America, for the record.

Ortega is going to be in “Scream,” but that’s not why she’s on our list. No, she’s here because she’s also going to be playing Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s show “Wednesday.” Catherine Zeta-Jones is playing Morticia, so we’re definitely interested in seeing what Ortega can do with the role.

Finally, one of the “Game of Thrones” spinoff shows is going to hit the airwaves. “House of Dragons” is a prequel set hundreds of years before HBO’s hit show, and it’s centered on the Targaryen family. Of the leads on the show, D’Arcy has the least name recognition, and since her character is a dragon rider it bodes well for her role in the story.

Peck got a bit of attention for playing a young Spock in a recurring role in “Star Trek: Discovery.” Things are about to be taken to a new level, though. Peck will be playing Spock in the main cast of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” He’s going from a recurring role to a star, and playing Spock is definitely a meaty role in the “Star Trek” universe.