Holiday movie preview: 16 big-screen stars who belong on your radar this season

There are, of course, any number of buzzy names we could single out as stars to watch in James Cameron’s upcoming . But given the recent revelation that Kate Winslet, who plays a diver in the aquatic-heavy installment, bested co-stars Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldaña in setting a new record for , we have no choice but to preemptively name her this film’s highlight.

If any film can crash awards season late in the game and shake up the leading actress race, it’s a Whitney Houston biopic. is written by Anthony McCarten and directed by Kasi Lemmons, and stars brilliant British actor Naomi Ackie as Houston—the kind of cultural icon that practically demands the Hollywood-retelling treatment. Audiences, and likely awards nominators, will definitely be checking this one out.

Wisecracking cat. Iconic boots. Antonio Banderas. It’s a winning combination, as many Shrek installments and 2011’s Puss In Boots have proven. The incomparable Banderas leads an all-star voiceover cast in —he’s joined by Salma Hayek, Olivia Colman, Harvey Guillén, John Mulaney, Florence Pugh, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph—making it a must-see animated adventure for kids and parents alike.

Jonathan Majors may be the quintessential star to watch at the moment, a trend that will continue well into 2023. , co-starring Glen Powell, casts Majors as a trailblazing U.S. Navy fighter pilot, but it’s a mere warm-up for his films that arrive early next year. In February, Majors squares off against Paul Rudd in , and in March, he steps into the ring with Michael B. Jordan in . The man positively exudes charisma and has the talent to match, so it’s fitting that Hollywood has fully caught on.

The less revealed about Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel, the better. But suffice it to say that the star-studded ensemble of features a remarkable turn from musician-actor-all-around-powerhouse Janelle Monáe. Upstaging Daniel Craig’s now-iconic Benoit Blanc is no easy task, but if anyone can do it, it’s them.

When is Margot Robbie not a star to watch? She currently belongs on our radar for Damien Chazelle’s bombastic awards contender , what feels like her umpteenth starring role in this golden age of Robbie. But her producing work is keeping pace with her acting; the coming years will bring Greta Gerwig’s eagerly awaited , of course, plus Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and an Ocean’s Eleven project.

There’s a reason indie and international film buffs often name Vicky Krieps as their favorite actor. The Luxembourgish star wowed audiences in Phantom Thread and Bergman Island, and turns in compelling work once again in , Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent depiction of the 19th century Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Critics are raving, which is par for the course with Krieps.

You may have heard of this star to watch, for he’s the starriest star of them all. But Tom Hanks is not making this list for prestige holiday-season Oscar bait, nor his eyebrow-raising work in . As a widower grumpily contending with less-grumpy neighbors in , Hanks is poised to play to one of his strengths: cinematic fun for the whole family.