Here are this year’s next breakthrough stars

Jan 7, 2015 16:55 GMT  ·  By
“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” will be out in 2015
6 photos
   “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” will be out in 2015

Much has been – and will be – said about the drawbacks of big film franchises, particularly about how they represent all that’s bad in Hollywood, how they’re shameless money grabs and bring very little original content to an industry that’s already suffering greatly from lack of originality.

But there’s no denying that they make a lot of money for the studios producing them and for everybody else involved in them, from the director to the cast and the staff on set. A successful film franchise can also launch careers even if it’s not received well critically, because it provides exposure.

Think of “The Twilight Saga” as the best example, which took 2 relative unknowns until that time, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and turned them into A-listers and the highest young earners in film for several years in a row.

Their career might not have gone in the direction they wanted after the franchise ended, but they’re still huge names because of it. In 2015, we’ll also be hearing about a lot of Pattinsons and Stewarts – and here are my predictions for the 5 names we’ll be hearing a lot this year.

Jack O’Connell

If you’re keeping an eye on the current awards season, you’re probably familiar with the name: he is the young actor who portrays young Louis Zamperini in “Unbroken,” directed by Angelina Jolie.

O’Connell hails from the UK and is 24 years old; he has a few acting credits under his belt, but none of his appearances generated the kind of buzz among fans and critics like the one in Jolie’s film. Naturally, the association with Angelina alone is bound to generate massive interest in the media and in the industry, but his superb performance in the film proves that all the attention he’s getting isn’t for naught.

“Unbroken” will get a wide release in the first 2 months of 2015, and he will follow that up with 3 more releases, which will hopefully lead to him securing even more roles. He’s also been doing his bid supporting Jolie for a Best Director nomination at the Oscars, and he’s been handling himself in the press admirably.

2015 will be the year when O’Connell explodes on the scene, because he has the talent and the skill to navigate the occasionally murky waters of showbiz and film.

Dakota Johnson

Just like it happened to Kristen Stewart when she got the lead in “The Twilight Saga,” Dakota Johnson will also become a huge star once “Fifty Shades of Grey” comes out in February (the same goes for her co-star Jamie Dornan).

She’s been doing some acting before, mostly because she is the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, but until “Grey,” she focused mostly on modeling. This is the film that will either prove her worth or… not. Whichever happens, she will make a fortune off the attempt and become the name on everyone’s lips for years from now on.

You have to understand, as low-quality as “Fifty Shades,” the original trilogy of novels, is, as many millions of readers it has – and all of them have been waiting for the film to come out. Most of these will find in Johnson’s portrayal of Anastasia Steele just the Anastasia they had in mind when they read the books, and their support will catapult her to A-list status, if only temporarily.

Gal Gadot

Gal too has been working in the industry for some time, both as model and actress. Credits as the latter include the “Fast & Furious” franchise, but she won’t be able to say she’s arrived until “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice” comes out.

It’s true, that won’t happen until March 2016, but by mid-2015, the frenzy around the project is bound to pick up again. Seeing how she’s the first actress to ever play Wonder Woman on the big screen and considering the controversy around the film because of the casting choices made so far (Ben Affleck as Batman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Gal herself), her name will come up a lot this year.

She will probably be using the boost in popularity to draw attention to 2 films she has coming out in 2015, before she’s sucked completely into the Warner Bros. comic-book universe, which will also include a standalone “Wonder Woman” film, “Justice League” and its sequels.

Lea Seydoux

If you’re the kind of movie buff who indulges in indie releases as well, this name rings a bell with you: Lea became a thing internationally with her performance in “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” which won her the Trophée Chopard Award for Female Revelation of the Year at the 2009 edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

She’s also done plenty of work in French cinema, where she’s an established talent. She will be going mainstream in 2015 – and all thanks to being cast in the 24th James Bond film, “SPECTRE,” which drops in theaters in December 2015.

Being a Bond girl usually implies very little in terms of acting, but I think it’s safe to agree that the latest Bond films have changed that, particularly the 2012 “Skyfall,” which offered Berenice Marlohe a meaty role instead of the standard stand-there-and-look-pretty position. Even if “SPECTRE” doesn’t deliver on this promise, Lea will at least be benefitting from the massive exposure.

John Boyega

When the first teaser trailer for “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” came out, after the initial shock wore off, millions of fans online were talking about that black Stormtrooper who shows up right at the beginning.

His name is Finn and he is played by 22-year-old Brit John Boyega, who broke on the scene with the unusual and brilliant alien invasion pic “Attack the Block” in 2011. Boyega’s resume too includes some mid to high-profile work, especially in TV, but it will be his “Star Wars” role that will help him become a name in the industry, even if it proves to be just a secondary one.

The media attention he will command during the promo campaign for the film and also the actual film franchise, which became a possibility when Disney acquired the rights for it, will make him a fixture on the media circuit – and we all know the kind of amazing things that can happen because of that.

5 actors who get their breakthrough in 2015 (6 Images)

“Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” will be out in 2015
Jack O'Connell in “Unbroken” from director Angelina JolieDakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in character for “Fifty Shades of Grey”
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