This Summer's 25 Hottest Stars

Tom Cruise, one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, will make at least two more Mission: Impossible films that will boost the franchise’s total to eight. Paramount Pictures in February announced summer releases in 2021 and 2022 for the next two films in the series that stars Cruise as agent Ethan Hunt. The previous six Mission: Impossible films have had an average box office gross, adjusted for inflation, of more than $265 million.

Mena Massoud, born in Egypt and raised in Canada, stars in the live-action remake of “Aladdin.” He appears in the television series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and can also be seen in the feature film “Strange But True.” Massoud starred in several television series in Canada before moving to the big screen.

Welsh actor Michael Sheen can be seen on the Amazon Prime miniseries “Good Omens,” which premiered May 31. He also appeared in seven episodes of the CBS series “The Good Fight” this year. Sheen is starring in the family comedy film “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle,” which is scheduled for release in January.

Jennifer Lawrence has been extremely successful with lead roles in the blockbuster Hunger Games and X-Men franchises. She recently starred in “Dark Phoenix” — released in theaters this June — as Raven/Mystique. While the movie underperformed at the domestic box office, it remains among the summer’s top 10 grossing films.

The Swedish actor, who became a star in his native country in 1968 when he was just in his teens, has 145 acting credits to his name, and he is still much in demand. American audiences might remember him as a Soviet submarine commander in the Cold War thriller “The Hunt for Red October.” Skarsgård starred in the HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” this year, and he appears in the films “I’ll Find You” and “The Painted Bird” that are due to be released later this year.

Natalie Portman is one of many actors to ascend in recent popularity because of her involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Portman has played the role of Jane Foster in numerous films, most recently “Avengers: Endgame.” Portman has announced her involvement in multiple upcoming productions, including the sci-fi film “Lucy in the Sky,” in which she will play astronaut Lucy Cola.

English actress Maisie Williams made her acting debut in the HBO fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” which just completed an eight-season run as one of the most successful cable television series of all time. She stars in the horror/science-fiction film “The New Mutants” that is scheduled for release in April 2020.

British actress Jodie Comer has appeared in miniseries on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, she is known for her starring role in the cable thriller “Killing Eve.” She is cast in the action/comedy film “Free Guy” that is due for release in 2020.

Jason Momoa took a star turn as “Aquaman” in 2018, and he is returning in that role in “Aquaman 2,” set to be released in 2022. This year, he voiced Aquaman in the “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” He is appearing in the movie “Dune,” based on the Frank Herbert novel, due out in November 2020, and is filming the futuristic Apple television series “See.”

Scottish actor Richard Madden found recognition stateside for his role as Robb Stark in “Game of Thrones.” He has continued working steadily in both television and movies, starring as Elton John’s manager John Reid in the recently released “Rocketman.”

“Friends” alumna Jennifer Aniston is appearing with Adam Sandler in the motion picture “Murder Mystery,” about a couple trying to recharge their marriage with a trip to Europe, only to be framed in the death of a billionaire. Aniston started her movie career in 1993, and her films have totaled over $2 billion in box office gross, adjusted for inflation.

Linda Cardellini has become a familiar face on television and on the big screen, with 70 acting credits over a 23-year career. She is currently co-starring with Christina Applegate in the acerbic comedy Netflix series “Dead to Me.” She starred in the runaway hit “Avengers: Endgame,” which followed her appearance in the Oscar-honored film “Green Book.” Cardellini will play the beleaguered wife of gangster Al Capone in the film “Fonzo,” which is in post-production.

Los Angeles-born Tessa Thompson appears in the HBO series “Westworld,” which will resume its run in 2020, after a two-year hiatus. She also stars in “Men in Black: International,” the fourth entry in the very successful franchise. The film opened earlier this month. Thompson has also voiced characters for the upcoming animated movie “The Lady and the Tramp” and the television series “Tuca & Bertie.”

With an acting career spanning one-quarter of a century, Scarlett Johansson has long been a household name. Her recent performance as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in movies, including blockbuster smash “Avengers: Endgame,” has injected her career with new life, including an upcoming Black Widow-focused feature that Johansson will star in.

Taron Egerton played British rocker Elton John in the biopic “Rocketman” that opened in May. The young English actor is also known for his recurring role in the Kingman action series in the role of Gary “Eggsy” Unwin. Egerton provides the voice for the character Moomintroll in the British cable television series Moominvalley.

Chris Pratt has become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, appearing just recently in blockbusters such as “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Pratt once again made headlines this summer when he married on June 8 author — and daughter of Arnold — Katherine Schwarzenegger.

Robert Downey Jr. has been very busy, appearing in action films such as the uber-successful Avengers series as the character Tony Stark / Iron Man. He will also renew his role as Sherlock Holmes in the film “Sherlock Holmes 3,” which is in pre-production and scheduled for release in 2021. Downey also voiced the title character of the film “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle,” set for release in 2020.

Chris Evans has not used his success playing Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise as an excuse to rest on his laurels. The actor currently has four unreleased feature films in some stage of production that he will star in, as well as a TV miniseries titled “Defending Jacob,” for Apple TV+.

English actress Naomi Scott is building her film career in the United States. She plays Jasmine in the Guy Ritchie-directed live-action remake of the Disney film “Aladdin,” which has already grossed more than $288 million at the box office since its release on May 24. The actress from London is also appearing in the reboot of the 2000 film and 1970s television series “Charlie’s Angels.”

Chris Hemsworth landed the role of a lifetime as Thor in the tremendously successful Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Hemsworth reportedly earned between $15 million and $20 million for “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Marvel isn’t the only major franchise that the actor has starred in, as he also took a lead role in this summer’s “Men in Black: International” as Agent H.

Following his well-received performance in the Oscar-nominated “A Star Is Born” in 2018, Cooper voiced the character Rocket in the blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame” this year. He is scheduled to appear in the film “Atlantic Wall,” a D-Day-themed drama in pre-production, and he is writing, directing, and starring in a biopic about American conductor and activist Leonard Bernstein titled “Bernstein.”

While British actress Emilia Clarke has appeared in some big budget feature films including “Terminator Genisys” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” she is likely most recognized for her work as Daenerys Targaryen on the recently wrapped “Game of Thrones.” Clarke is continuing to ride the wave of her popularity, having recently signed on to play the lead role in multiple upcoming features.

Sophie Turner is well known for playing Sansa Stark in the HBO series “Game of Thrones” — a role she filled for eight seasons. The English actress also appeared on the silver screen this summer in the Marvel Comics X-Men film “Dark Phoenix,” in which she played Jean Grey/Phoenix.

Brie Larson has solidified her status as a Hollywood star with her performance as Captain Marvel in numerous Marvel Universe movies, the most recent of which being “Avengers: Endgame.” The actress’s next feature length project is biographical drama “Just Mercy,” based on the life of civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, in which she’ll star alongside Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. The movie is slated for a January 2020 release.

Keanu Reeves has had an extensive career, appearing in numerous popular movies over the past 30 years such as “The Matrix,” “Speed,” and “Point Break.” His most recent starring role was in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” which was released this past May. Reeves also voiced the character Duke Caboom in this summer’s “Toy Story 4.”