The Best Glen Powell Movies and Shows that Show Why He’s One of Hollywood’s Most Sought-After Actors

From swaggering flyboys to undercover chameleons and quick-witted comedic leads, Glen Powell has built a filmography that spans blockbuster action, sharp rom-coms, awards-season dramas, and scene-stealing TV. Below are standout projects that highlight his range—who he played, who made the projects, where to watch many of them, and the industry milestones they notched along the way.

‘Twisters’ (2024)

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, this standalone sequel to ‘Twister’ casts Powell as Tyler Owens, a celebrity storm chaser whose high-risk tactics collide with cutting-edge research campaigns. The film pairs him with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos and was produced by Amblin, Universal, and Warner Bros. Production shot across Oklahoma and surrounding states to capture practical weather footage and large-scale set pieces. It became one of the year’s major summer releases, reintroducing the franchise to a new audience with contemporary severe-weather science and on-location spectacle.

‘Hit Man’ (2024)

Powell stars as Gary Johnson in Richard Linklater’s genre-blending caper, inspired by a real-life undercover operative. He co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater and produced, showcasing an expanded creative role behind the camera. The film premiered at fall festivals before a global streaming release on Netflix. Set around New Orleans, it weaves identity, surveillance tech, and sting operations into a brisk crime-and-romance plot.

‘Anyone But You’ (2023)

This Sony Pictures romantic comedy, directed by Will Gluck, teams Powell with Sydney Sweeney as mismatched New Yorkers who fake a relationship during a destination wedding in Australia. Filmed largely around Sydney, the production features prominent coastal locations and modern pop needle drops. The movie leveraged savvy social-media marketing and strong word of mouth to extend its theatrical run. It later found a sizable second life on digital platforms and streaming.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)

Powell plays Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin in Joseph Kosinski’s high-performance naval-aviation sequel. He trained extensively for aerial sequences, working alongside naval aviators and cast mates flying in real F/A-18s to capture in-cockpit footage. The film was produced by Skydance and Paramount with support from the U.S. Navy and collected multiple major craft awards. Its global success elevated several cast members and cemented a new generation of pilots in the franchise lore.

‘Devotion’ (2022)

In J.D. Dillard’s aerial war drama, Powell portrays Medal of Honor recipient Tom Hudner opposite Jonathan Majors as Jesse Brown. Adapted from Adam Makos’s nonfiction book, the film chronicles a pivotal rescue mission and the partnership at its center. Powell also served as a producer, helping shepherd period-accurate flight sequences involving restored aircraft. The production collaborated with aviation groups and staged complex sorties over coastal locations to reenact mission profiles.

‘Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood’ (2022)

Reuniting with Richard Linklater, Powell lends his voice to this rotoscope-animated coming-of-age story set against the Apollo program. The film blends documentary detail, childhood memory, and imaginative “what-if” NASA scenarios. It features narration by Jack Black and a cast performing via live-action capture before animation. Released by Netflix, the project expands Powell’s credits into animation and space-race nostalgia.

‘Set It Up’ (2018)

Claire Scanlon directs this New York–set workplace comedy with Powell as overworked assistant Charlie, scheming with Harper, played by Zoey Deutch, to set up their demanding bosses. The film spotlights modern office culture, text-era matchmaking, and the mechanics of PR and sports-media careers. Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs co-star as the high-powered executives at the center of the plan. A Netflix release, it became a frequently recommended streaming rom-com and broadened Powell’s profile with global audiences.

‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ (2016)

Powell plays Finnegan in Linklater’s collegiate ensemble about a baseball team finding its footing during opening weekend. The production emphasizes improvisation, period-specific music supervision, and sport choreography built around cast chemistry. Costuming and production design recreate campus housing, local bars, and practice fields with meticulous detail. The film functioned as a career springboard for several emerging actors in the ensemble.

‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)

Portraying astronaut John Glenn, Powell appears in Theodore Melfi’s drama about NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. The movie adapts Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book and spotlights mission planning, orbital trajectories, and human-computer workflows. It received multiple Academy Award nominations and earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for its ensemble. Powell’s role intersects with the story’s depiction of early spaceflight and the team that enabled it.

‘Scream Queens’ (2015–2016)

On the Fox anthology series from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, Powell plays Chad Radwell, a fraternity leader entwined with a campus slasher mystery. The show mixes horror tropes with satire, rapid-fire dialogue, and serialized whodunit structure. It features an ensemble led by Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lea Michele across two connected seasons. The production’s blend of genre parody and glossy styling made it a cult favorite on broadcast and streaming.

Share your favorites and the roles you think best showcase his range in the comments!