Adria Arjona could be the next Wonder Woman.
Notice the lowercase. Yes, the rising star is rumored to play Wonder Woman in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow — though she could also be the villain, or simply be putting her punishing workout routine on display as part of a savvy publicity campaign. Whatever the truth, Arjona is unquestionably one of her generation’s most talented and magnetic performers. Calling her ability to bring comedy, emotional depth, and action-hero power to the screen “wondrous” hardly feels like an exaggeration.
Arjona first made her mark on television as the lead of NBC’s short-lived 2017 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, Emerald City. From there, she moved between major films, including Pacific Rim: Uprising and the James Gunn-written and produced The Belko Experiment, and television projects such as Good Omens and True Detective. Then came breakout performances in the acclaimed Star Wars series Andor and Richard Linklater’s underrated Netflix comedy Hit Man. In both cases, you could argue that she frequently held her own against — and occasionally outshone — co-stars Diego Luna and Glen Powell.
Predicting that Arjona is on the verge of becoming a major movie star is hardly a leap. After delivering a hilarious performance in the inspired comedy Splitsville, she took on the role of a military sniper in Adam Wingard’s Onslaught — a dramatic stylistic shift that highlights her remarkable range. At DECIDER, we prefer to get ahead of the curve, so here’s a look at the most notable entries in Arjona’s still-brief but increasingly impressive film career. Consider it a guide to the performances you may have missed — and a chance for us to say I toldja so when she headlines billion-dollar blockbusters and collects Oscar nominations.
In Michael Bay’s aggressively over-the-top action movie — and yes, pairing “obnoxious” with “Michael Bay” is almost comically redundant — Arjona plays Five, one of the vigilantes led by Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds’ snark may be the only force in the universe capable of cutting through all the Bayhem. Since the characters are identified by numbers, it makes sense that Arjona’s Five receives the film’s fifth billing. It also makes sense that audiences might emerge from the explosion-filled chaos with the faint impression that a future star was hiding somewhere in the wreckage. The clearest reminder comes when Five, a doctor, performs emergency bullet-removal surgery on Melanie Laurent in the back of a speeding, swerving car. Bay may have intended the sequence as a crude sexual metaphor, but taken at face value, it is almost impressively audacious. Arjona is perfectly fine here — and, through no fault of her own, has to work against the movie surrounding her.
Where to stream 6 Underground
Early in her career, Arjona was handed a familiar assignment: the mother with cancer. More specifically, the mother with cancer in an action movie, whose illness keeps her away from the action even though later roles would demonstrate just how capable the actor is. These are the parts performers often take on while establishing themselves. Still, Sweet Girl is worth revisiting in retrospect, particularly because Arjona and leading man Jason Momoa would go on to play a romantic couple a few years later. A charming bit of casting history.
Where to stream Sweet Girl
Arjona could hardly have known that this Spider-Man spinoff would become one of the most widely mocked films of the century so far. Then again, Jared Leto’s presence in the lead role may have hinted that the finished product was destined to be ridiculed at best and dismissed as outright cinematic dreck at worst. Morbius landed firmly in the latter category. The one consolation is that Arjona’s performance is not among the movie’s most memorable elements — and she is probably perfectly happy about that.
Where to stream Morbius
This Latino-American remake of a classic comedy, released directly on HBO Max, is a light and breezy affair. After surviving the Bay, Leto, and cancer-stricken-mother stages of her early filmography, Arjona deserved something gentler. As the title character — the Bride, not the Father — she is charming, lively, and effortlessly appealing. The material does not challenge her, and she can occasionally disappear within the ensemble, but Father of the Bride still represents an important step forward. It marked the beginning of Arjona’s upward climb as she refined her comic and dramatic instincts and began choosing stronger projects.
Where to stream Father of the Bride
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Yes, technically this is not a movie. But Andor may be one of the most cinematic television series ever made, with a reported budget of $500 million for two seasons, and it serves as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That is enough to earn it a place on this list. In this adult-oriented Star Wars action drama, Arjona plays Bix, a vulnerable survivor of profound trauma, including torture and sexual assault. Her experiences ultimately help motivate the title character to become a selfless hero in the fight against space fascism. The significance of Bix appearing in the series’ final shot — her expression peaceful as she cradles hope in her arms — is difficult to overstate. It is a deeply moving image, even for viewers without porgs and Yodas occupying every room of the house.
Where to stream Andor
Richard Linklater’s subtly chaotic romantic comedy places Arjona and Powell in a series of, well, compromising positions. Their chemistry is so potent that the Netflix pause button may become necessary for safety reasons. Beneath the jokes, though, Hit Man finds the perfect balance of cleverness, sex appeal, and emotional intrigue. Linklater and his two leads make the most of Arjona’s considerable skill set. Powell may have received the bulk of the attention, but Arjona is the movie’s secret weapon, making it look effortless to be sexy, funny, and exceptionally sharp.
Where to stream Hit Man
Arjona has a supporting role in Zoe Kravitz’s pointed feminist revenge thriller, but she comes close to taking the film away from lead actor Naomie Ackie during its second half. The two play women lured to an island by a disgraced tech entrepreneur, portrayed by Channing Tatum, who intends to subject them to something horrific. Arjona’s character is a sharply satirical take on the egotistical reality-TV personality, gradually transforming into a determined and righteous seeker of revenge. Once again, Arjona proves she can balance wildly different tones within the same performance.
Where to stream Blink Twice
Long, uninterrupted takes and bursts of increasingly manic farce power this wonderfully strange open-marriage comedy from filmmakers Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino. Marvin and Covino play the husbands, while Arjona and Dakota Johnson portray their wives — two women who seem very much out of the men’s league. That imbalance is central to the joke, as the actors improvise, or appear to improvise, their way through the moral and physical complications of modern marriage. Arjona is one part of the ensemble, but among the four central performers, she leaves the strongest impression that Christopher Guest should build an entire loose-limbed mockumentary around her. This underseen comedy is well worth watching.
Where to stream Splitsville
What’s next
Man of Tomorrow doesn’t hit until summer 2027, and sci-fi comedy Alpha Gang just debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. But in-between those? Easily the most anticipated Arjona flick on the docket: a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, in which she co-stars with Michael B. Jordan (who also directs). Sure seems like another project perfectly suited to her talents – and one that may make her the next Oscar darling. Remember, you heard it here first.
John Serba is a freelance film critic from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Werner Herzog hugged him once.