Hollywood – Call it the Hunt for the New Male Movie Star – a youngster to step into the shoes of Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt or even Leonardo
DiCaprio, who’s already hit the ripe old age of 32. In the next year, Hollywood is betting a billion dollars on a raft of relative unknowns in the hopes of creating a star to appeal to the Millennial Generation, those born between 1978 and 2000, for whom Tom Cruise could be their father.
Ever heard of Emile Hirsch, James McAvoy or Sam Worthington? If not, you’re not alone, but that hasn’t stopped Warner Bros. and the Wachowski brothers from casting the 22-year old Hirsch in next summer’s tent pole “Speed Racer,” or Universal from putting the 28-year old Brit McAvoy in their spring 2008 action film, “Wanted,” a potential franchise that co-stars Angelina Jolie.
The macho Worthington – who’s not even famous among the cognoscenti – is a 30-year old journeyman Australian actor who won the jackpot recently when he landed the lead in “Avatar,” “Titanic” director James Cameron’s much-heralded return to moviemaking, due out in 2009.
“The studios need that new generation,” says casting director Joseph Middleton, who recently auditioned almost every guy in his early 20s for Doug Liman’s next film, “Jumper,” about a teleporting kid. “This is a window that opens every decade for the stars we’re going to be watching for the next 30 years.”
Or as former studio chief-turned producer Tom Pollock puts it: “It seems that new stars – they come in bunches, and it’s been a drought for a while.”
You can also call it Hollywood’s latest end-run around the $20-million dollar leading man.
Consider 20-year old Shia LaBeouf, the first among equals in this set of new leading men. A former Disney Channel star, LaBeouf rocked the industry last month when his film “Disturbia” opened to a healthy $22 million, far more than the recent openings of such pricey stalwarts as 43-year-old Nicolas Cage, 35-year-old Mark Wahlberg, or 52-year-old Bruce Willis.
The film, a nifty high school version of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” proceeded to hold first place for three weeks. LaBeouf also stars in this summer’s blockbuster wannabe, the $145 million “Transformers,” one of the few nonsequels to generate enthusiasm among teenagers. And he has been anointed by Steven Spielberg to co-star alongside the relatively elderly (in Hollywood terms) Harrison Ford, in the long-awaited fourth installment of “Indiana Jones,” which will debut next May.
According to insiders, he earned $400,000 for “Disturbia,” $500,000 for “Transformers” and will move into the $1 million range for “Indiana Jones.” That’s a fraction of the standard megastar salary, the $20 million and 20 percent of the first-dollar gross required to garner the services of a Pitt or DiCaprio.
“It’s an economical thing,” says Universal president of production Donna Langley, whose studio not only cast McAvoy but has recently tapped 26-year-old Aussie unknown Luke Ford to take over “The Mummy” franchise.
