An upcoming Jenna Ortega movie is under more pressure now that two of her recent projects, Finestkind and Miller’s Girl, underperformed. By any metric, Ortega has been experiencing an extraordinary career. The actress was always destined for stardom since her first movie role in 2013’s Iron Man 3. Nonetheless, she made a string of ingenious career decisions from 2020 to 2023. Ortega parlayed a supporting role in The Babysitter: Killer Queen into lead parts in both X and Scream, two acclaimed 2022 slasher movies. This led to the title role in Netflix’s Wednesday, an Addams Family spinoff that cemented her A-list status.
As if this weren’t enough, a more central role in the blockbuster horror sequel Scream VI raised Ortega’s profile even higher. However, while Jenna Ortega’s movie and TV roles have been strong so far, the box office performance of her most recent outings has dimmed her star power somewhat. 2023’s dour crime drama Finestkind failed to impress reviewers, while 2024’s Miller’s Girl underperformed at the box office and failed to hit with critics upon release. This one-two punch has destabilized Ortega’s impressive streak, meaning her next project will need to impress to make up for these unfortunate missteps. Luckily, this seems likely.
Death Of A Unicorn Will Have More Pressure After Jenna Ortega’s Recent Struggles
Ortega’s two under-performing projects mean Death Of A Unicorn must succeed
Tim Burton’s upcoming Beetlejuice 2 will almost certainly not be affected by Ortega’s recent box office wobbles, given the movie’s franchise recognition, the return of stars like Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, and Burton’s involvement. However, after Finestkind and Miller’s Girl both flopped critically and commercially, Ortega’s next original movie will be another story. A24’s dark comedy Death Of A Unicorn will now be a bigger test of Ortega’s appeal outside of the horror genre and familiar existing franchises. This will be doubly important since Ortega exited Scream 7 in 2023, meaning she won’t return to that profitable series.
Directed by Alex Scharfman, Death Of A Unicorn stars Ortega as Ridley, the teenage daughter of Paul Rudd’s Elliot. En route to a meeting with Elliot’s boss, Elliot and Ridley hit a unicorn that is stolen by the family of Elliot’s corrupt boss. As the family begins experimenting on the unicorn, they find out that it has both incredible powers and dangerous potential. Co-starring Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni, and Will Poulter, Death Of A Unicorn is executive produced by Ortega. The project will be distributed by A24, the buzzy studio that released indie hits like Uncut Gems and Hereditary.
Jenna Ortega Needs To Avoid Being Genre-Cast
Ortega’s impressive streak of horror roles runs the risk of type-casting
Part of what makes Death of a Unicorn Ortega’s most exciting upcoming movie is its unusual tone. The project’s synopsis makes it clear that the movie will have some fantasy elements, but Death Of A Unicorn is primarily a black comedy. Most of Ortega’s best-known work has been in the horror genre, whether it is the family-friendly scares of Wednesday or the darker, gorier horror of X and the Scream sequels. While these roles have seen Ortega carve out a profitable and consistently critically acclaimed niche, it would be good to see her have more success branching out.
With earlier projects like the 2021 drama Fallout, Ortega already proved that she has the talent to play lead roles in non-genre projects. Meanwhile, the astronomical success of Wednesday means that she should have enough mainstream appeal to be marketed as a leading lady. While Ortega’s 2024 movie Miller’s Girl failed to win over viewers and Finestkind wasn’t a critical hit, both movies saw her performances singled out for praise. The star could become both a big box office draw and an indie darling, but her more recent projects betrayed this potential. Death Of A Unicorn could get it back on track.
Death Of A Unicorn Could Be Great For Jenna Ortega’s Career
The indie black comedy could show a new side of the star
Death Of A Unicorn securing A24 as its distributor bodes well for the project. Meanwhile, the movie’s cast is also a promising mix of A-list stars like Rudd, consistently interesting, inventive actors like Poulter, and established screen veterans like Leoni and Grant. The movie’s surreal premise means Death Of A Unicorn could show off Ortega’s comedy chops more after the deadpan of Wednesday saw her playing the straight man to mugging co-stars. There is a lot of potential to Death Of A Unicorn, so while it is a challenge, the bizarre black comedy could also work out very well for Ortega.
Like The Fall of the House of Usher, Succession, and The White Lotus, Death Of A Unicorn seems set to satirize toxic, uber-wealthy families. Like Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, and Glass Onion, the project looks like it will blend genre elements with more grounded commentary on income inequality. Thus, Ortega’s upcoming A24 project could be just what the star needs to prove that she can pick relevant, timely, and original projects as well as elevate familiar franchises with her presence. This could allow Jenna Ortega to ameliorate the impact of both Finestkind and Miller’s Girl underperforming with viewers and critics.
Miller’s Girl
- Release Date
- January 26, 2024
- Director
- Jade Bartlett
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Jenna Ortega , Gideon Adlon , Bashir Salahuddin , Dagmara Dominczyk , Christine Adams
- Runtime
- 93 Minutes
- Writers
- Jade Bartlett
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
