New Remake Of Kurt Russell Thriller Continues A Glen Powell Trend I Hope He Moves Away From

High-octane, nostalgia-driven movies have fueled Glen Powell‘s seemingly meteoric rise, but his new remake plan continues a potentially dangerous trend for the actor. It was recently announced that Powell would star in a remake of Backdraft, the 1991 thriller starring Kurt Russell. While the project promises to bring attention back to a somewhat forgotten thriller, the movie also means that Glen Powell is continuing to pursue a particular type of movie role – something I’d like to see him move away from.

Glen Powell is the embodiment of an ’80s or ’90s leading man. His Texas swagger resembles Hollywood actors from years past, so it is no wonder that much of his recent filmography includes reboots or callbacks to older blockbusters. Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, like their predecessors, are old-school popcorn flicks. However, as much as I and millions of others have enjoyed Powell’s performances in these legacy sequels, there’s no denying that they represent a potentially problematic career trend.

Backdraft Continues Glen Powell’s Trend of Remakes and Sequels to 1980s and ’90s Movies

Powell Risks Being Typecast

The recent announcements that Powell would star in remakes of Backdraft and The Running Man continue his trend of choosing updates of older movies. While I firmly believe the vehicles suit Powell, I think he should step away from remakes and reboots because his previous work has shown that he is more than capable of starring in movies that aren’t based on nostalgia-driven IP. Powell should not be afraid to step away from the throwbacks and stand on his charisma and talents in original works.

I am not saying that Powell should never appear in another remake or sequel. They are fun, audiences love them, and they can sometimes breathe new life into a familiar story. However, he may be limited to a specific genre if he relies too heavily on them for his career. Powell needs to balance familiar projects and original projects that challenge him and allow him to grow as an artist. Glen Powell is talented, and I want to see him shine as much as possible in projects that aren’t grounded in past glories.

Glen Powell’s Movies are Great, But Hopefully, He Makes More Original Ones

Glen Powell Has Great Comedic Timing

Netflix’s Hitman, while loosely based on a true story, is a prime example of an original idea that allowed Powell to shine. Glen Powell has displayed excellent comedic timing in Hitman and even as far back as Fox’s Scream Queens. It would be unfortunate to see him boxed into action-hero roles because I believe he has so much more to offer. Powell is credited as a co-writer on Hitman, and the movie’s success proves he should continue to write innovative characters for himself.

I’ve enjoyed all kinds of Glen Powell performances. His charm radiates off the screen in Top Gun: Maverick and he’s highly believable in those types of roles. However, they are not the only movies he can make. As he showed in Hitman, he is more than capable of playing multiple different characters and adding nuance to all of them. Powell effortlessly switches between 9 different personalities in Hitman. His switch from Gary to Ron shows how he can quickly imbue characters with different traits while maintaining comedic elements – something that shouldn’t be limited to remakes.

Glen Powell’s work in films like Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters has been excellent, and I’m sure he will continue to do great work in Backdraft and The Running Man. However, I believe he must continue to explore work where he gets to showcase a broader range of characters. It would be a shame to typecast him as just an action star when he has so much more to offer. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll see Glen Powell take on more original roles that allow him to showcase his acting talents fully.