Welcome to Trade Secrets, TheWrap’s insider guide to making it in Hollywood. Earlier this month, we dived into how to get a studio green light for your film, and one of the elements we looked at was the importance of the cast. This week, we tackle who the actual stars are that can automatically greenlight a project.
Because despite the definition of stardom radically changing in the digital and social age, movie stars still matter. While getting a studio green light is more difficult than ever, and Hollywood keeps talking about the “death of the movie star,” the biggest names in the business continue to prove them wrong.
Just check out the box office receipts of the films from the actors on this list.
“All of the names on this list not only carry significant audience value, but, equally important, they attract top-tier directors,” producer Adrian Askarieh told TheWrap. “In turn, those directors draw meaningful actors who elevate and complete a premium package. An A level or A+ package remains the fastest path to a potential green light for higher-budget films, particularly in today’s risk-averse and IP obsessed market.”
That matters because the alternative is more sequels. More reboots. The actors on this list are one of the last remaining reasons a studio will take a chance on something original.
Here are The Wrap’s 20 Actors in 2026 which can get a project the coveted green light.
Brad Pitt
At 61, Pitt is the epitome of “movie stars still matter” as 2025’s “F1” grossed $633 million worldwide, setting multiple records as the highest-grossing sports film ever, Apple’s most successful theatrical release, and the highest-grossing film of Pitt’s career. Pitt is set to return to his Oscar-winning role of Cliff Booth in Netflix’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” spinoff, “The Adventures of Cliff Booth.”
Tom Cruise
“Top Gun: Maverick” bagged $1.49 billion at the box office and reminded everyone what a movie star can do. Following the “Mission: Impossible” films, Cruise has Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s original Warner Bros. film “Digger” coming on Oct. 2. The film cost $125 million.
Scarlett Johansson
One of the biggest movie stars on this list, Johansson’s “Jurassic Park: Rebirth” last summer catapulted her to a career gross of $14.8 billion, passing fellow MCU stars Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. Next up, Johansson booked two more franchises, “The Batman: Part 2” and a new “Exorcist” movie at Universal for director Mike Flanagan.
Zendaya
Making her official entry into the movie star club is Zendaya, who currently stars in “The Drama” opposite Robert Pattinson, which opened to an impressive $20 million after just six days in release. The film cost only $28 million to make and has thus far amassed $43 million. Along with “Euphoria” season 3, Zendaya has a stacked 2026 with tentpoles “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Dune: Part Three.”
Pedro Pascal
Pascal is seemingly in everything from huge franchises like “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” romantic comedies like “Materialists” which grossed five times its budget and edgier fare like “Eddington.” Next up, Pascal goes full franchise as he has “The Mandalorian and Grogu” coming in May and “Avengers: Doomsday” in December. But after that, and to the point about his greenlight power, he’s starring in Todd Haynes’ indie gay romance that shut down when Joaquin Phoenix pulled out. All it took was Pascal’s name and the project was back on.
Michael B. Jordan
Last year’s “Sinners” not only elevated Jordan’s box office leading man status into the stratosphere with $370 million worldwide, it also garnered him an Oscar statue for Best Actor. Next up, Jordan goes both behind and in front of the camera for the remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” that he directed at Amazon MGM Studios.
Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet not only has the acting chops, but the movie star swagger and the Kardashian girlfriend to boot. He also showed that he’s a consistent box office. His latest film, “Marty Supreme” became A24’s highest grossing film at the global box office at roughly $150 million. Next up, he has “Dune 3” in December and he’ll be reteaming with “A Complete Unknown” director James Mangold for a motocross heist film at Paramount.
Jason Momoa
Momoa scored a massive hit with last year’s “A Minecraft Movie,” which banked $961 million globally at the box office. Next up, he stars as Blanka in Legendary’s “Street Fighter,” Lobo in DC Studios’ “Supergirl” and he just got the green light to star in Sony’s “Helldivers” film adaptation based on the hit video game.
Sydney Sweeney
After a string of indie flops, Sweeney finally broke out as a franchise movie star with “The Housemaid,” which grossed over $400 million worldwide. A sequel, “The Housemaid’s Secret” was greenlit almost immediately and goes into production later this year. Sweeney also has the live-action “Gundam” movie going into production this year at Legendary.
Jack Black
Black has become the rare comedic actor who, when paired with the right script, can get the project made. One of the standouts on 2025’s “A Minecraft Movie,” Black returns to another franchise with Sony’s next “Jumanji” installment this December.
Robert Pattinson
Pattinson has become the go-to actor for prestige directors who need a star with arthouse credibility and real box office weight. “The Batman” proved he could carry both. He currently stars opposite Zendaya in A24’s “The Drama,” which is a box office hit and starts production on “The Batman: Part 2” in June.
Margot Robbie
Robbie cemented her status as a box office movie star with 2023’s “Barbie” which garnered over $1.4 billion at the box office. This year, “Wuthering Heights” grossed over $230 million worldwide on a budget of $80 million. With her LuckyChap banner being one of the hottest production companies in Hollywood, she is currently developing a new “Ocean’s Eleven” movie and an adaptation of “The Sims” video game.
Dwayne Johnson
Even though his attempt at drama with “The Smashing Machine” came up short, Johnson still got the movie made. “Dwayne Johnson in a big popcorn action movie? Works. Dwayne Johnson in an indie drama, even with a phenomenal performance? Crickets,” a producer told TheWrap. Next up, he resumes his role as Maui in the live-action remake of “Moana,” which comes out July 10.
Denzel Washington
At 71, Washington is still one of the only actors who can greenlight a serious drama. He recently starred in Spike Lee’s crime thriller “Highest 2 Lowest” at Apple. Washington is staying in business with the streamers as he has “Here Comes the Flood” at Netflix opposite Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones next, and a rumored appearance in “Black Panther 3,” according to filmmaker Ryan Coogler.
Jenna Ortega
Gen Z megastar and “Scream Queen” Jenna Ortega, who broke out with Netflix series “Wednesday,” is the youngest member of this list at 23. But she’s proven to be a box office movie star with over $800 million in worldwide box office courtesy of “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” and the “Scream” franchise. Next up, she stars in J.J. Abrams’ “The Great Beyond.”
Jacob Elordi
Elordi followed his Oscar-nominated performance as “the Creature” on Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” last year with “Wuthering Heights,” which opened at $83 million worldwide in Feburary and has grossed over $240 million. James Bond rumors continue to circle Elordi. Next up, Elordi stars in “The Dog Stars” for director Sir Ridley Scott.
Ryan Gosling
After 20 years of playing romantic leads in rom-coms, Gosling has officially arrived into the legit movie star club courtesy of Amazon MGM megahit “Project Hail Mary,” which has garnered more than $500 million worldwide. Gosling’s next outing as a leading man will be 2027’s “Star Wars” movie “Starfighter,” directed by Shawn Levy.
Zoe Saldaña
Dominican American actress and Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña is officially the biggest movie star on this list, and the highest-grossing actor of all time, courtesy of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which has grossed $1.23 billion. The Oscar-winning Saldaña is also the first actress to appear in an eye-popping four movies that have generated more than $2 billion globally. Saldana’s worldwide box office total is $15.5 billion, edging out Scarjo by almost a billion.
Chris Pratt
Pratt seemingly has all the voice actor roles in animation, but it’s for good reason. Between the two “Lego Movies,” “The Garfield Movie” and now “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which passed $600 million globally this past weekend, he has a heck of a track record. On the live action front, his work on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy and “Jurassic World” trilogy also cemented his A-list status. It is currently unknown if his Star-Lord will return in “Avengers: Doomsday,” but he’s got roles in an Apple adaptation “The Way of the Warrior Kid” and a “Garfield” sequel on deck.
