Forget ‘The Summer Of Glen Powell,’ His Hitman Co-Star (And Tom Cruise) Are Even More Bullish About The Actor’s Hollywood Future

It has been quite the year for Glen Powell. After the box office success of Anyone but You, the actor seems to be everywhere. His latest movie sees him playing the lead role in the Richard Linklater movie Hit Man, and his disaster blockbuster, Twisters, could make a major impression this summer. However, according to his co-stars, this isn’t just Powell’s summer, or even year. They were even more emphatic in their praise of the up-and-coming movie star — and his future as Hollywood’s leading man.
The Set It Up actor was recently honored by the Austin Film Society and inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame. The event was hosted by the organization and featured speakers like Glen Powell’s frequent collaborator, Richard Linklater, Hit Man co-star Adria Arjona, director Robert Rodriguez, and even Tom Cruise, who recorded a message for the event. While many headlines have called this upcoming summer the “Summer of Glen Powell,” due to the number of movies the actor has on the horizon. Arjona wanted to make it clear that this summer was just the beginning for her scene partner. She said (via The Hollywood Reporter):
I want to make something really clear: This isn’t your summer, Glen, this is the Glen Powell decade. [Glen] is not just incredibly good looking with like 13 abs — I don’t know, I personally haven’t counted. He shape shifts and it’s impossible to predict what he’ll do next. He’s a creator. He’s a writer and producer. He’s funny and, man, is he smart. He’s one of the hardest working people I know. But most importantly, he is a good person. He doesn’t like winning on his own. He wins as a team and never makes it about himself. Glen, you’re pretty close to perfect, my friend. You light up everyone around you. And if there’s one thing that bothers me about you is that I didn’t meet you sooner.
The actor’s reputation as a hard worker, who stayed grounded during his rise to the top, is part of what makes him so endearing. The Devotion star not only headlines Hit Man, but he also co-wrote the film with its director. He he’s been writing and producing his own ideas since he started auditioning, and he’s also advocated for himself when it comes to finding work. He even declined the supporting role in Top Gun: Maverick until he worked with Tom Cruise to make his character more multifaceted, and that part that ended up being a game-changer for his career. He may be ambitious, but Glen Powell always seems to put the project and the story first.
Even Tom Cruise himself had glowing words to say about his co-star in the message he pre-recorded for the ceremony. He couldn’t be more happy for the Spy Kids 3D alum’s rise to stardom, and he even hinted at potentially collaborating with him again very soon:
Congratulations Glen on the incredible honor of being inducted into the Film Hall of Fame, in the country of Texas. It was a great experience working with you on Top Gun: Maverick and to see all that you have created since. And Glen, I have to say your Texas-sized talent is only matched by your Texas-sized heart. I look forward to working with you again. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and enjoy this well deserved celebration of you, my friend.
That reunion may happen sooner rather than later. There’s been an abundance of chatter about a third high-flying installment being made, and the Top Gun: Maverick cast is all reportedly expected to return. Earlier this year, Glen Powell said he would be happy to join the third film whenever he was asked, and these Tom Cruise comments suggest that something is on the horizon. And, even if it’s not another film in the beloved aviator franchise, I’d just love to see these two team up for something else. In the meantime, though, it’s just great to see Powell thriving, and one can agree with Adria Arjona that his hot streak could surely last more than a summer.
You can see the 35-year-old actor in Hit Man, which is in theaters now and will be available to Netflix subscribers on June 7th. You can also see him lead the all-star cast of Twisters, which will hit cinemas nationwide on July 19t as part of the 2024 movie schedule.