We’re going to school of how the path to stardom in the streaming era has evolved and splintered in the “White Lotus/Stranger Things” era
Sydney Sweeney stands out in a streaming series, blows up in a “Much Ado About Nothing” rom-com (“Anyone But You”) feature film.
Millie Bobby Brown blows up on “Stranger Things,” and most everything she does beyond that involves Netflix.
But Sweeney’s chiseled, conventional “leading man” “Anyone But You” co-star Glen Powell went from supporting parts in “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Hidden Figures” and the like into “He’s the next Brad Pitt” hype.
He had “Hit Man” in the can before “Anyone But You” came out. But since then, he starred in a Big “Twister” sequel — “Twisters” — and signed for the remake of the Stephen King novel first filmed as a Schwarzenegger vehicle, “The Running Man.”
He’s got a Ron Howard “firefighter” project and a Judd Apatow comedy lined up, although plainly those two “name” directors are on the downside of their A-list careers. Powell can ask his “Anyone” co-star Sweeney about that.
But now he’s done a football riff on “Mrs. Doubtfire?” A disgraced figure of fun who tries to reinvent himself after an on-field gaffe by staging a comeback as a doofus savant who sounds like he took a few too many shots to the head?
Even Pitt is dancing between big paycheck features and streaming outings, but most of these shows show a serious star power fall-off once you account for the star’s salary. Steve Zahn is the biggest supporting name in “Chad Powers.” After him, Toby Huss? Not a good sign.
Powell’s good at comedy. And this could be…cute. Sure the premise seems like about 30 minutes of a 90 minute feature in terms of inventive fun. And he may not yet be the draw Hulu figures he is.
Sept. 30 we’ll see if it all works out, or if it’s as quickly forgotten as Pitt’s “War Machine” turn.
