The Rise Of The Modern Movie Stars

In an age of social media where celebrities are seemingly more accessible than ever, the concept of the classic movie star faces peril from an overexposure to certain celebrities. However, a select few actors have consistently popped up in the largest movies of 2026: Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, and Tom Holland. These three actors have shown versatile range, all while dominating the box office with these latest hits.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Deston Daniel Cretin with a script written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth film in the MCU’s Spider-Man series. It follows a lonesome Peter Parker focusing almost entirely on being Spider-Man, his identity a mystery to the entire world including his former friends MJ and Ned. When a telepathic threat begins hopping around New York City threatening the organization Damage Control, Spider-Man must team up with other heroes like Bruce Banner, the Punisher, and Yelena Belova to figure out the telepath’s identity. All the while, he endures his own internal demons, as his powers overwhelm him due to years of stress, loneliness, and bottled-up emotion.

Tom Holland and Zendaya bring a strong emotional core to their performances, exploring a relationship lost to magical tampering and the possibilities of what could have been. Holland brings an emotional vulnerability familiar to his incarnation of Spider-Man, exploring modern issues like male loneliness and a fear of embracing one’s emotions.

The film stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Zendaya as MJ Watson, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds. Jon Bernthal plays Frank Castle/the Punisher, Florence Pugh plays Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo plays Bruce Banner/the Hulk, and Tramell Tillman plays Bill Metzger. Finally, Marisa Tomei appears as Aunt May, Michael Mando appears as the villain Mac Gargan/Scorpion, and Liza Colón-Zayas portrays NYPD detective Jean DeWolff.

The Odyssey (2026)

The Odyssey, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is an adaptation of the classic literary story by the poet Homer. Following a 10-year-long war in Troy, the king of Ithaca Odysseus hatches a plan to finally take down the city from the inside and end the war: a horse statue dedicated to Poseidon secretly housing soldiers inside. After Troy is sacked and fallen, Odysseus must lead his men back home to Ithaca, encountering monsters, witches, godly threats, and nightmarish storms. Back in Ithaca, with Odysseus presumed dead and the kingdom waiting for a ruler, the queen Penelope and the prince Telemachus are stuck dealing with dozens of suitors, all pining after Penelope and the position of king. Telemachus sets off to find word of his missing father, while suitors like Antinous abuse Zeus’ law of hospitality to take food and shelter in the palace nightly.

Tom Holland brings a serviceable performance as Telemachus, struggling between the threat of the suitors viewing him as lesser and Penelope lacking confidence in his ability to take over and rule. Zendaya brings a subtle, haunting undertone in many of her scenes, appearing throughout the film to Odysseus as a representation of the goddess Athena, instructing him on how to get back home and partially serving as a representation of his larger guilt around Troy. Her standout scene, albeit brief, is shown at the sacking of Troy, where she plays a Trojan priestess at Athena’s temple who is killed in front of Odysseus. Robert Pattinson serves spectacularly as the sniveling coward and suitor Antinous, leading his fellow suitors and men to violence while avoiding all of the fighting at all costs. This cowardice is mirrored in his past, where he tricked Elliot Page’s Sinon to take his place in Troy so he could stay home in Ithaca.

The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, and Robert Pattinson as Antinous. Lupita Nyong’o plays the dual roles of Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy, Samantha Morton plays the witch Circe, John Leguizamo plays Eumaeus, and Charlize Theron plays Calypso. Jon Bernthal plays Menelaus, king of Sparta and Helen’s husband, Himesh Patel plays Eurylochus, Odysseus’ second-in-command, Elliot Page plays Sinon, a Greek soldier who delivers the Trojan Horse to Troy, and Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, the Greek king of Mycenae and Clytemnestra’s husband.

The Drama (2026)

The Drama, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, is a romantic dark comedy. Soon-to-be-wed couple Emma and Charlie are days away from their wedding when they decide to play a game with their best friends, the maid of honor Rachel and her husband the best man Mike, where they reveal the worst actions they’ve ever done. Mike starts off, admitting to using a past ex-girlfriend as a human shield when attacked by a wild street dog. Rachel follows up by admitting to locking up a neighbor kid who was on the spectrum in a closet in the woods and leaving him there overnight. Charlie admits to cyber bullying his neighbor in high school to the point where the neighbor moved away. Finally, Emma admits to having planned a school shooting in high school, but ultimately never follows through with it after gaining interest in gun reform. Emma’s admission leaves the other three in a mix of emotions, from an angry Rachel belittling Emma because Rachel’s cousin was paralyzed in a shooting, to a nervous Charlie questioning their entire relationship just days before the wedding. The slow unraveling of the two couples is presented through phenomenal editing, presenting brief but powerful flashbacks and darkly funny smash cuts.

Robert Pattinson brings a level of cowardice and deceit different from his performance in The Odyssey, as Charlie is presented as a habitual liar trying to downplay the situation he is presented with. His character is somewhat of an emotional mess, making several rash decisions throughout the film. Zendaya delivers a strong performance, reacting to the situation brought on by her reveal with a mix of horror, concern, and distress, culminating at its most powerful during the wedding itself.

The film stars Zendaya as Emma Harwood, the bride to be with a sinister secret, Robert Pattinson as Charlie Thompson, the groom to be with a hint of cowardice, Alana Haim as Rachel, the two-faced maid of honor full of hypocrisy, and Mamoudou Athie as Mike, the best man trying to hold things together. Hailey Benton Gates plays Misha, Charlie’s coworker. Jordan Curet plays a younger version of Emma Harwood in flashbacks.