Actors that will blow everyone away in 2017

While 2016 offered moviegoers a ton of cinematic treats, from heart-wrenching dramas to heart-stopping thrillers, 2017 promises to kick it up a notch…or 12. With sequels sure to be smash hits and original takes on old classics, this year's upcoming releases feature an even more impressive band of actors—hitting a sweet spot mix of newcomers and well-known award-winners across a wide range of genres. Hold on to your theater seats and don't spill your popcorn—here are 15 actors that will blow everyone away in 2017.

Johansson is no stranger to the limelight. Since getting her start at the tender age of ten, Scarlett Johansson has shown off some pretty powerful acting chops, starring in films like Sofia Coppola's drama Lost in Translation, Spike Jonze's Oscar winner Her, and, perhaps most famously, in the Captain America and Avengers franchises as the Russian spy Natasha Romanoff, otherwise known as Black Widow. This year, Johansson plays Major Motoko Kusanagi, a.k.a The Major, in Ghost in the Shell. A live-action adaptation of the critically acclaimed Japanese manga of the same name, Shell has already received a ton of buzz. While some have questioned the choice to cast Johansson, director Rupert Sanders backed up the decision. Based on the gorgeous and action-filled trailer alone, it seems Johansson is bound to turn heads—and maybe surprise a few naysayers—as the Major.

Ruby Rose stole a hefty amount of hearts in 2014 as the smooth-talking but secretly sinister Stella Carlin in season 3 of the Netflix original Orange Is the New Black. After making only a quick cameo in the show's fourth season and popping up just a few times across television and film screens since, the DJ-turned-actress from down under is slated to take 2017 by storm. Rose stars in not one but a whopping four blockbuster films, ranging from action-packed flicks to a catchy second sequel sure to bring in packs of eager fans.

Filmgoers will first see her as the bright-haired badass Adele Wolff in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, the third film in the xXx franchise starring Vin Diesel, which hits American theatres on January 20. The second dose of Ruby Rose goodness comes just a week later on January 27, when she shows up as Abigail in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The third hit comes when the action-thriller flick John Wick: Chapter 2 makes its official release on February 10. Alongside Keanu Reeves as the titular ex-hitman John Wick, Rose takes on the role of Ares, a stone-cold assassin bent on vengeance. Rose rounds out 2017 as she stars in the third film in the massively popular Pitch Perfect franchise, set for a December 22 release. This year, it looks like everything's coming up Rose.

After gaining worldwide recognition as the bone-clawed beast Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, Hugh Jackman is back again to reprise the role in Logan. As the first R-rated film in the X-Men franchise, Logan promises the darker, grittier, and far more mature take on the character that comics fans have been clamoring for since he showed up on the screen. The actor even allegedly took a pay cut to ensure the film, set for release on March 3, would land that adult rating. (Hey, if it worked for 2016's super-successful Deadpool, why wouldn't it work for Logan?) Jackman has more than ample experience in emotionally heavy dramas, and given the fact that he's played Wolverine for nearly 20 years, he's more than qualified to add a new perspective to the character. While Jackman's no undiscovered or up-and-coming talent, the Aussie actor still has tons of tricks up his sleeve—and his portrayal of a troubled Wolverine in Logan will knock audiences out of their seats.

Audiences may recognize 27-year-old Brenton Thwaites from the psychological horror film Oculus, from 2014's Maleficent (in which he played Prince Philip), or even from the book-to-film adaptation of The Giver. Wherever you may have seen him in the past, you're certain to remember him in 2017, as he's starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The fifth installment in the swashbucklin' fantasy Pirates of the Caribbean series, Dead Men Tell No Tales follows the original gang—Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner—on an expedition out of the "Devil's Triangle" in the Atlantic Ocean in search of Poseidon's trident, the only thing that will take down their ghostly foe, Capitán Salazar. So where does Thwaites fit into the equation? He stars opposite Depp as Henry, a young, cursed crew member on a mission to reunite with his father, the one and only Davy Jones. Acting right alongside arguably the face of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is a pretty huge undertaking, but Thwaites seems calm, cool, and charismatic enough to stand out as Henry—and gain a throng of new fans along the way.

This model-turned-actress got her film start as Gisele Yahar in the fourth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise in 2009 before landing a role of epic proportions: Diana Prince, a.k.a Wonder Woman, in the DCEU's 2016 superhero mash-up Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She returns to the role in not only one but two insanely hyped 2017 releases: the standalone Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, and Justice League. DC fans and casual moviegoers alike will get double the Gadot in 2017, with Wonder Woman premiering June 2 and Justice League ringing in the holiday season on November 17. With her scene-stealing talent bolstering a DCEU roster that also includes Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Gadot is destined to pack a punch as Wonder Woman in 2017—and beyond.

Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård started turning heads when he was just ten years old, a reaction that quickly snowballed into more serious recognition, particularly when he was cast as Roman Godfrey in the Netflix horror series Hemlock Grove. It seems Skarsgård found his happy place in horror, and executives took note, casting him in It, a big-screen adaptation of writer Stephen King's beloved 1986 horror novel. Skarsgård portrays the demonic entity that spurred a generation's fear of clowns: Pennywise the Clown, more commonly known as "It." Skarsgård clearly excels at spookiness, and his fresh take on such a recognizable villain seems sure to terrify and impress moviegoers by the millions. We can hardly wait…even if we'll be watching It through our fingers.

Taking on the role of peace activist and war photojournalist Weaver in Kong: Skull Island, a Jordan Vogt-Roberts-directed prequel to the original King Kong, Oscar winner Brie Larson will dive headfirst into amazing action sequences as she and the rest of the star-studded cast battle the infamous giant gorilla. Though the 27-year-old actress is no stranger to starring in action flicks—her filmography boasts roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and 2016's Free Fire—Kong: Skull Island marks the first film to take full blockbuster advantage of her high-energy acting abilities. She has the talent to blow moviegoers away, too. Coming off multiple awards for her stunning performance as Joy "Ma" Newsome in the 2015 indie drama Room, Larson is poised to bring amped-up fun as well as character complexity to her depiction of Weaver in Kong: Skull Island, and she'll next enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the one and only Captain Marvel.