Glen Powell kicks off his big summer

Hit Man drops on Netflix on June 7, and while I am deep in my “I am mad about Hit Man selling to Netflix even though it was Glen Powell and Richard Linklater who decided to sell it to Netflix and yet I am not mad at THEM” feelings, I AM glad to see that Netflix is at least spending a little money to remind people that this movie exists, as opposed to chucking it straight into the content firehose, like they did with Linklater’s last film, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood. Linklater was so peeved about that experience he spent the fall festival circuit last year sh-t talking Netflix…only to sell his new film to Netflix. Make it make sense!

Well, the studios didn’t offer anything, and Netflix came in with a big offer—orders of magnitude larger—and a promise to treat Hit Man better. So no, I’m not mad at Linklater and Powell, co-producers and co-writers on the film, the director and the star, making the best business decision in front of them. I am f-cking FURIOUS at the studios for not ponying the f-ck up for a legit movie star—maybe even a Movie Star—and letting Hit Man end up in the Netflix carousel. Because while Netflix is pushing the film some, it’s still only getting a (very) limited release for two weeks, beginning May 24 in North America. Once again, I am BEGGING you to see this movie in a theater. It was made for audiences! I PROMISE it is SUCH a good time in a theater! Make the effort!

As for Powell, yesterday he was at the Hit Man premiere in Austin, Texas—where he was also inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame—stunting with his parents. I wonder if/when he will be hit with the try-hard backlash we have previously seen sweep Tom Hiddleston and, more recently, Austin Butler? Or will Powell’s “aw shucksiness” save him? Like does the good ole boy counteract the try hard? I don’t mind the try hard on anyone, because I’d rather deal with ambitious people who let you know what they’re after than the ones who pretend like it’s all a cosmic coincidence that they’re succeeding in this extremely cutthroat, extremely rarified industry that takes an extraordinary degree of hustle to conquer. A try hard is at least honest. Speaking of stunting, Powell was also stunting around town in Austin:

Powell also has a write up in Vanity Fair, not quite a full-blown profile but a nice interview and some gorgeous pictures to go with it (I am SO glad furry chests are back in!). Importantly, he says he is now “okay” being “part of the gossip”. He’s learned to separate himself from his public persona, necessary for a movie star and key in figuring out how best to leverage that persona as part of a blockbuster career. Everyone does it, there’s no shame in it, and the actors who can’t figure out how separate the person and the persona inevitably burn out. I don’t think Glen Powell is in danger of burning out, despite the breakneck pace he is working at. 

Now we just have to see how his many 2024 movies are received. Anyone But You turned into a winter blockbuster, Hit Man could dominate Netflix for like, a week (UGH), and Twisters might be one of the summer’s blockbusters, we’ll see. Plus, he has a documentary about the Navy’s precision flight team, the Blue Angels, coming out that he co-produced with JJ Abrams, which should do well just on the back of IMAX dollars. Given this summer’s relatively light post-strike schedule, they have some room to hoover up some of that premium large format cash. It’s shaping up to be a big summer for Glen Powell.