Determining the next crop of stars is one of Hollywood’s most important tasks. These rising talents will be on movie posters and headline TV shows. Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, and Leonardo DiCaprio are still viable stars in 2025. They’re getting older though, and eventually, they will pass the torch to the new wave of young actors and actresses.
Look at Dune: Part Two. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh are part of the next class of movie stars. And Glen Powell, Aaron Pierre, and Ella Purnell are ready to join that list after their life-changing 2024 campaigns. Who will be 2025’s next big star? Scroll below for our predictions for 2025’s breakout stars.
5. Peter Claffey
The Game of Thrones universe will add its second spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, sometime this summer on HBO. The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. The titular knight in the series, Ser Duncan the Tall, will be played by Peter Claffey.
What’s fascinating about Claffey is he didn’t make his acting debut until 2022. The 28-year-old was playing professional rugby up until that point. Now, he could become the biggest name on a Game of Thrones spinoff. Look at what Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon did for the careers of Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, and Milly Alcock. The same could happen for Claffey in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
4. Sydney Chandler
Does the name “Sydney Chandler” ring a bell? Her last name might. Sydney is the daughter of Kyle Chandler, the Emmy Award-winning actor best known for starring in Friday Night Lights. Just as her father broke out on television, Chandler has the chance to do the same thing in Alien: Earth.
From creator Noah Hawley comes Alien: Earth, a prequel series set two years before the events of 1979’s Alien. Chandler headlines the series as a young woman whose ship crash-lands on Earth with a group of soldiers. The group make a startling discovery, which probably involves a Xenomorph wreaking havoc. The Alien franchise turned Sigourney Weaver into a landmark action heroine and Cailee Spaeny into a rising movie star. Chandler could be the next great female star to come from this franchise.
3. Damson Idris
Damson Idris is arguably the most established name on this list. The 33-year-old starred as drug dealer Franklin Saint in FX’s Snowfall. Despite the critical acclaim, Idris is not a household name just yet. That should change this summer with F1, Joseph Kosinski’s hotly anticipated first movie after Top Gun: Maverick.
Brad Pitt headlines F1 as Sonny Hayes, a retired Formula One racer who returns behind the wheel to mentor a hot-shot rookie (Idris). The Apple sports drama has a chance to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters. Idris could use the success of F1 to springboard his career like Powell and Miles Teller did in Maverick. Besides F1, Idris has been linked to James Bond casting rumors. Even if those aren’t true, it can’t hurt to be mentioned alongside an iconic character like 007.
2. Rachel Sennott
Rachel Sennott is well on her way to becoming one of her generation’s leading female comedic voices. After breaking out in Shiva Baby, Sennott parlayed that success into a scene-stealing role in Bodies Bodies Bodies. The 29-year-old then teamed up with Ayo Edebiri for Bottoms. This fall, Sennott appeared in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night.
HBO has big plans for Sennott. The network greenlit a series written and executive produced by Sennott, who will also star. The half-hour comedy, which should premiere in 2025, follows a reunion between a codependent friend group as they navigate how time apart changed them. If the series becomes a hit, Sennott could be the next Lena Dunham or Issa Rae.
1. David Corenswet
Frankly, this was an easy pick. There is fame, and then there is Superman fame. The next actor putting on the iconic red cape will be David Corenswet, the titular star of James Gunn’s Superman. As Clark Kent/Superman, Corenswet is about to be the face of the DC Universe for the next decade. Corenswet could be what Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans became for the MCU.
Pre-Superman, Corenswet has starred in multiple Ryan Murphy shows, including The Politician and Hollywood. Corenswet also made a memorable appearance in Pearl as the projectionist. Last summer, he played the heel in Twisters. These bit roles are nothing compared to Superman, one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture. Corenswet could shoot right to the A-list as the Man of Steel.