WARNING! This article contains minor spoilers for Hit Man!
Summary
Glen Powell’s new comedy movieHit Manis a massive success on Netflix, and his role makes me way more excited about seeing his upcoming action sequel being released this summer. With his fame having skyrocketed after playingHangman inTop Gun: Maverick,Glen Powell is now situated as one of Hollywood’s top leading men, landing the actor plenty of high-profile roles in new comedies, rom-coms, action movies, and thrillers. Since starring in Tom Cruise’s $1.5 billion-makingTop Gunsequel in 2022, Powell has been on a hot streak with critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies likeDevotion,Anyone but You, and now Richard Linklater’sHit Man.
Alongside Adria Arjona, Glen Powell leads thecast ofHit Manas Gary Johnson, a college psychology teacher who splits his time working as an undercover “hitman” for the New Orleans Police Department. Eventually, Gary falls for one of his would-be “clients,” Madison, while under his assassin alias Ron, with his double life turning all the more complicated when her husband actually winds up dead.Boasting a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% from critics,Hit Mancertainly reiterates Glen Powell’s leading man quality, which perfectly prepares audiences for his upcoming role in the sequel to an action hit from 1996.
Powell’s next movie is an action-heavy disaster sequel
AfterHit Man,Glen Powell’s next big release isTwisters, thestandalone sequel to Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s 1996 disaster thrillerTwister.While it doesn’t appear that any original actors will return forTwisters, the upcoming movie – whichhits theaters on June 20, 2025– already has sufficient star power with Powell as Tyler Owens and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Carter in the lead roles. InTwisters, Powell and Edgar-Jones take on dynamics akin to Paxton and Hunt’s from the original movie, with both being tornado chasers and experts who unite to test out an important theory on the violent twisters.
Considering the1996Twistermovie made over $494.5 million at the box office(viaBox Office Mojo), the pressure is on forTwistersto repeat the original’s summer box office success. However, withTwistershaving a reported budget of $200 million (viaThe Washington Post), this may be a tall order given recent commercial disappointments for 2024 franchise installments likeFuriosa: A Mad Max SagaandGhostbusters: Frozen Empire. It’s tough to say howTwisterswill perform compared to its tornado-chasing predecessor, but I’m convinced that the prospects for its success will be even greater after Glen Powell’s acclaim inHit Man.
So far,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagahas earned $145 million at the box office against a $168 million production budget.
Powell’s last theatrically-released movie,Anyone but You, was also a huge hit at the box office, with many calling out howHit Manshould have been released in theaters rather than on streaming through Netflix. Considering how much more funHit Man’s twist endingand hilarious moments would have been in a packed theater, I’m all the more excited to see Glen Powell’sTwisterscharacter chase tornadoes and play out some exhilarating, death-defying scenes on the big screen this summer.Hit Manwould have been a perfect film to help kick off the summer blockbuster season, and I’m hoping that Glen Powell’s next movie fulfills this missed opportunity.
Twisters Will Include The Real Action That Glen Powell’s Hit Man Barely Touches
Hit Man generally subverts the assassin subgenre action tropes
WhileRichard Linklater’s movieHit Manplayed with typical assassin subgenre tropes under the creed that “hitmen aren’t real,” it wasn’t the high-octane action thriller that some may have expected before watching. Rather,Hit Mansubverts these expectations with more comedy and romance themes, which doesn’t seem to be the case forTwisters. Based onTwisters’ latest trailer,I’m inclined to believe that the upcoming disaster movie sequel will be the most action-heavy blockbuster in Glen Powell’s career so far where he’s in a lead role.
Given their extensive resumes in the genre, I was surprised that Powell and Arjona were hardly featured in any intense action scenes duringHit Man.
Given their extensive resumes in the genre, I was surprised that Powell and Arjona were hardly featured in any intense action scenes duringHit Man. But,ifTwistersis anything like the original movie, it’ll keep audiences on the edge of their seatsas Powell and Edgar-Jones’ characters engage in some terrifying, potentially reckless activities as they drive into dangerous tornadoes. After seeingGlen Powell’s variousHit Manaliaseswho discuss their fictional dangerous backgrounds, I’m excited to see him as a character who’s really seeking out the storm-chasing action inTwisters.
Twisters' MPA Rating Confirms It Will Surpass The Original Movie In 1 Way
Twisters is set to surpass the 1996 classic in terms of scale and action elements that could make it the must-see movie event of the summer.
Hit Man & Anyone But You Make Twisters' Romantic Subplot More Promising
Glen Powell continues to be a reliable leading man
After his rom-comsuccesses in bothHit ManandAnyone but You, itseems like Glen Powell is able to find great chemistry with all of his co-leads. WhileTwisters’ trailers haven’t given too many teases for the romance between Powell and Edgar-Jones’ characters, the originalTwistermovie’s ending seems to make the two become a couple inevitable. WithAnyone but Youseeing Glen Powell successfully tackle the leading man role in a Shakespeare-inspired romance andHit Manseeing him find acclaimed chemistry with Arjona in an assassin-based romance, I have no doubt that Powell and Edgar-Jones’Twisterscharacter romance will be as compelling as Hunt and Paxton’s in the 1996 film.
Hit Man
Cast
Hit Man centers on a mild-mannered professor involved in police sting operations as a fake hit man. His life spirals into chaos when he unexpectedly falls for a potential client, initiating a series of unforeseen complications and dilemmas.
