Photo: Ian Gavan (Getty Images)
Regardless of what you do in life if you wear the name of the best basketball player that ever lived you have a microscope on you at all times and terrifyingly great expectations. So it’s even more impressive that Michael B. Jordan became a successful actor, and at such young age, but he’s not stopping there as all things indicate that the actor is the Hollywood’s next big thing, potentially reaching the stardom of Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Here are the reasons why we believe that Jordan will rock the box office as his namesake rocked the rims.
Proven since young age
Many people might have missed that Michael gave one of the most powerful performances in the television series that is still the bar for TV programming – The Wire. Jordan became Wallace, just one of many characters from the huge show, but the one that is forever engrained in our minds due to his last scene in the series. That boy is now taking on Hollywood. Before gracing the big screens he managed to star in another highly beloved and regarded TV show – Friday Night Lights, as a high school football quarterback.
Ladies love him
Photo: Paras Griffin (Getty Images)
Whether you want to roll your eyes at the obsession women have with celebrities, there’s no point in denying the importance of it, as it creates hype which the movie studios take in account for their casting. And Michael B. Jordan has that appeal, as he is very stylish, charming in his interviews, and women say that the “B.” in his name stands for “Bae”. It’s Bakari actually, but he probably won’t mind.
Great management
It’s really hard out there for a young actor, even a proven one, without a good agent, and Jordan has a good one as he picked two amazing independent movies when the young man decided it’s time for a big screen switch. Chronicle (2012), a sci-fi teen comedy-drama, was the first, and it was followed by a socially important Sundance hit Fruitvale Station (2013). Two very different challenges for Michael and he seemed natural in both of them, with Fruitvale proving his dramatic chops and Chronicle box-office potential.
He bounced back from a terrible flop
Not everything is going to be milk and honey when you’re a movie star, even Vince from Entourage had his flops, and it’s all about how you take the loss and bounce back from it. Fantastic Four (2015) was supposed to be Jordan’s transition to the big league as the movie had the who’s who of Hollywood’s young hopes, yet it failed miserably. But it didn’t hurt the actor’s’ credibility, as the performances weren’t the sins of the movie.
Proven athleticism
Jordan followed Fant4stic the best way possible, by proving that he is the star-material people thought he was by revamping a beloved, iconic, old franchise which is Rocky, as Creed is basically a spin-off of it. And in it Jordan proved that he is highly athletic in it, being as believable as a boxer as he was as a quarterback. This is a great tool for an actor to have as it opens a lot of doors, and Michael himself said that enjoys being in shape and that he yearns for action roles.
Director combo
Photo: Steve Jennings (Getty Images)
Leonardo DiCaprio wouldn’t be the star he is today if he didn’t catch the eye of Martin Scorsese and became his favorite actor to work with, his new DeNiro. Being a director’s first pick is incredibly beneficial to one’s career, and Jordan has established that relationship with Ryan Coogler, an upcoming director who’s just one year older than him. The two worked together on Fruitvale Station and Creed, and upcoming Black Panther (2018) will be their third movie together, also Coogler’s third feature film in general.
Genre bounces
Being a worldwide movie star cannot be done without versatility, and despite being young, especially in actor years, the 29-year-old is already proven in this field. He started off in a drama series, broke out in a realistic, grounded drama Fruitvale Station, has a great track record in athlete portrayal, revived a huge franchise with Creed, and will hopefully make a successful transition to comic-book movies with the Black Panther. Besides that Jordan was a highly charismatic person in Chronicle, showed comedic chops in That Awkward Moment (2014), and also lent his voice to a couple of video game characters. He can do it all.
Do you agree that Michael B. Jordan is destined to stardom? Which role of the young actor do you like the most so far?
