Eddie Redmayne
The Actor: London-born Redmayne has cropped up in a host of lavish costume dramas, from the likes of Elizabeth: The Golden Age to The Other Boleyn Girl via the Sean Bean-starring Black Death . Dressing up required? Eddie’s your man.
Why So Hot? As well as playing protagonist Stephen Wraysford in the upcoming small-screen adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong , Redmayne will appear as one of the leads in Marilyn Monroe biopic My Week With Marilyn . He plays Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier who records the tension between the two stars during the production of The Prince And The Showgirl . Then after that comes a starring role in Tom Hooper's adaptation of Les Miserables opposite Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway. A big year ahead for young Eddie...
Max Irons
The Actor: A former Burberry model, and the son of Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons, Max appeared in Catherine Hardwicke’s glossy reimagining of Red Riding Hood , as well as taking a supporting role to Ben Barnes in literary adaptation Dorian Gray .
Why So Hot? He recently bagged a lead role in The Host , the forthcoming adaptation of Twilight author Stephanie Meyer’s alien invasion saga. On top of that, Irons will also be starring as composer Antonio Vivaldi in Boris Damast’s biopic, Vivaldi .
Alden Ehrenreich
The Actor: Supposedly “discovered” by Steven Spielberg at the bat-mitzvah of one of The Beard’s daughter’s friends, Ehrenreich made waves with his performance as Bennie in Francis Ford Coppola’s 2009 film Tetro . Good spot Steve!
Why So Hot? He’s starring in Coppola’s upcoming horror thriller Twixt , alongside Val Kilmer and Elle Fanning, before joining Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman for Chan-Woon Park’s mystery thriller Stoker .
Benjamin Walker
The Actor: Walker played Liam Neeson’s 19-year-old self in Kinsey , before starring alongside Ryan Phillippe and Jamie Bell in Flags Of Our Fathers . Not a bad way to kick off your career then, but the truly big roles are just around the corner.
Why So Hot? He’s managed to land himself the title role in upcoming fantasy horror Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter , heading up a great-looking cast including Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie and Dominic Cooper. Then looking further ahead, Walker will also be involved with Alex Proyas’s adaptation of Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost . He’ll be playing the Archangel Michael, one of God’s loyalists lined up against Bradley Cooper’s treacherous Lucifer.
Thomas McDonell
The Actor: McDonell made his big-screen bow back in 2008, appearing with Jackie Chan and Jet Li in kung-fu adventure The Forbidden Kingdom . A more recent appearance in teen fluff Prom confirmed him as a fully paid-up member of Hollywood’s latest batch of bright young things.
Why So Hot? He will play a younger version of Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s upcoming chiller Barnabas Collins , before appearing in teen comedy Fun Size . A lead role in high school drama The Spectacular Now is pencilled in for later in 2012.
Xavier Samuel
The Actor: Another member of the Twilight brood (he played Riley in last year’s Eclipse ), Aussie-born Xavier recently joined in the fun on Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous as the Earl of Southampton.
Why So Hot? You can see him next alongside Olivia Newton John for Aussie comedy A Few Best Men , before he appears in the deliriously stupid-sounding Bait , a horror film in which a freak tsunami traps a group of coastal shoppers in a supermarket with some tiger sharks! The star-making turn however, should arrive with Drift , in which he and Sam Worthington appear as pioneers of the modern surfing industry.
Luke Grimes
The Actor: A fixture on TV’s Brothers And Sisters for some years now, Grimes first came to our attention in high school horror All The Boys Love Mandy Lane back in 2006. It’s all gone a bit quiet since then, but Grimes’ upcoming schedule should soon put that right.
Why So Hot? He’ll be joining Chloe Sevigny and Jena Malone for macabre drama The Wait (in which two girls hide the body of their dead mother within their home), before starring with Liam Neeson and Famke Janssen in the upcoming sequel to Taken . We know which one sounds more interesting, but also which one is more likely to give Grimes’ career a boot up the backside… good job he’s doing both then isn’t it?
Jake Abel
The Actor: Having appeared in Peter Jackson’s patchy adaptation of The Lovely Bones , Abel appeared as part of an uber-hot young cast in sci-fi saga I Am Number Four . Supporting roles so far then, but not for much longer…
Why So Hot? Abel has signed on to play Ian O’Shea in Andrew Niccol’s adaptation of The Host , reuniting him with his Lovely Bones co-star Saiorse Ronan. He’ll be squabbling for young Saiorse’s affections with fellow heartthrob Max Irons, in one of Stephanie Meyer’s signature love triangles. Be still our beating hearts.
Aidan Turner
The Actor: The swoonsome star of BBC3’s Being Human (who would have known that matted, unwashed hair and grotty fingerless gloves could work so well together?) and Desperate Romantics , Turner disappointed legions of fans when he announced he was leaving the former in pursuit of a career in Hollywood. A bold move…
Why So Hot? Or not so bold after all, given that he already had a role in The Hobbit safely in the bag. Turner will play Kili, one of the Dwarves who join Bilbo Baggins on the Quest of Erebor. Expect him to fill the heartthrob vacuum left by Viggo Mortensen. Not a bad way to make your Hollywood bow, is it?
Chris Colfer
The Actor: Colfer is best known for playing Kurt, the helium-voiced moppet coming to terms terms with his sexuality on smash telly hit Glee . He also appeared in Marmaduke as “Drama Dog 2”, although the less said about that the better…
Why So Hot? Next year will see him starring in self-penned drama Struck By Lightning , a comedy drama in which a recently deceased young man recounts how he blackmailed his fellow students into contributing to his literary magazine. Christina Hendricks and Alison Janney are also in place to appear.
Alexander Ludwig
The Actor: Having played the lead role in British fantasy film The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising , Ludwig went on to strengthen his sci-fi credentials by starring opposite The Rock in 2009’s Race To Witch Mountain .
Why So Hot? He’s part of one of 2012’s hottest young casts in the form of The Hunger Games . Ludwig will be playing Cato, a representative of a rival District who will go head to head with Jennifer Lawrence’s heroine Katniss as one of her main rivals.
Tristan Wilds
The Actor: One of the standout performers in a ludicrously talented cast, Wilds played troubled youngster Michael Lee on HBO drama The Wire , before moving on to the other end of the spectrum with a recurring role in glitzy yawn-fest 90210 . We know which one we preferred.
Why So Hot? He’ll be starring as part of a talented African-American ensemble for Lucasfilm’s upcoming war drama Red Tails . That comes hot on the heels of a leading role in I ndelible , a family drama based around a geneticist’s struggle to save her son from a rare congenital disease.
Robert Emms
The Actor: A British LAMBDA graduate, Emms’ big break came as recently as last month, appearing as scriptwriter Thomas Dekker in Roland Emmerich’s (kind of) historical romp Anonymous .
Why So Hot? He’ll be appearing in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse adaptation, before joining up with Tarsem Singh’s fairytale ensemble for Mirror, Mirror . Looking further ahead, he’s also attached to British drama Broken , alongside Cillian Murphy and Tim Roth. You might not know the name now, but Robert Emms is certainly one to watch.
Joel Courtney
The Actor: The fun-sized lead of J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 , who alongside Elle Fanning, managed to keep the (admittedly spectacular) special effects grounded in a thoroughly human drama. Bravo!
Why So Hot? Next up comes domestic weepie The Healer , before work begins on family epic Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn . Courtney will be taking the lead as Sawyer, a role that should mark him out as more than just the latest child-star prodigy.
Douglas Booth
The Actor: A virtual unknown in Hollywood terms, Booth is probably best known for his supporting role in bodice-ripping mini-series The Pillars Of The Earth , alongside Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell. However, he won’t be flying under the radar for much longer…
Why So Hot? Booth will be playing Romeo to Hailee Steinfeld’s Juliet in Carlo Carlei’s take on the Bard’s famous love story. Before that, you can also catch him in the unappealingly titled LOL , a high school romance starring Ashley Green, Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore. We might wait for the Shakespeare to be honest…
Thomas Mann
The Actor: Thomas Mann is probably best known for his supporting role in kooky indie comedy It’s Kind Of A Funny story , in which he appeared alongside Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis. He’ll be getting a lot bigger in 2012, mind.
Why So Hot? Mann has bagged himself the leading role in Project X , a teen movie collaboration between Scott Pilgrim writer Michael Bacall and The Hangover ’s Todd Phillips. After that comes a role alongside Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters , a comedy-horror take on the famous fairytale.
Matt Bomer
The Actor: Despite supporting roles in Hollywood fare such as Flightplan and In Time , Bomer is best known for his TV work, with a recurring role on Chuck serving as his most recognisable calling card.
Why So Hot? He’ll be staking his claim to bona fide big-screen stardom in Magic Mike , as part of one of the manliest casts of 2012. Will Bomer be able to hold his own alongside Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer? Female audiences the world over will enjoy finding out.
Jackson Rathbone
The Actor: A supporting player in the Twilight series, Rathbone also appeared in M. Night Shyamalan clunker The Last Airbender . No prizes for guessing which teen fantasy occupies more space on his CV…
Why So Hot? Besides starring in climactic, two-part series-ender Breaking Dawn , Rathbone will also be starring as Leo Mishkin in Paul Williams’ adaptation of The Idiot . Not many actors can say they’ve starred in films inspired by both Stephanie Meyer and Fyodor Dostoevsky…
Ed Westwick
The Actor: A regular fixture on posey pout-fest Gossip Girl , Westwick recently flexed his muscles as leading man material in British comedy Chalet Girl . Settle down now ladies.
Why So Hot? He’ll be appearing as Hoover’s biographer in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar , before playing Tybalt in Carlo Carlei’s adaptation of Romeo And Juliet . And of course, the Gossip Girl juggernaut continues to roll ever onwards…
Craig Roberts
The Actor: The diminutive star of Richard Ayoade’s superlative debut Submarine , Roberts followed up his breakout role with some sterling supporting work alongside Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska in Jane Eyre .
Why So Hot? He’ll be making a name for himself Stateside by co-starring with Robert De Niro and Cillian Murphy in Rodrigo Cortes thriller Red Lights . Also on the slate is Comes A Bright Day with fellow up-and-comer Imogen Poots, as well as another Cillian Murphy team-up for WW2 drama Wayfaring Strangers .
Armie Hammer
The Actor: The chiselled antagonist of The Social Network who played both twins from the Winkelvoss family. If nothing else, Armie can take pleasure in managing to overcome sounding as though he was named after a toothpaste manufacturer.
Why So Hot? 2012 sees him starring opposite Lily Collins in Tarsem Singh’s riff on the Snow White legend, Mirror Mirror . He’ll be playing the handsome prince, naturally. And just in case that doesn’t sound butch enough, he’ll also be playing the title role in Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger , alongside Johnny Depp. Chuck in a supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar , and you’re looking at a man whose career is very much on the up.
Anton Yelchin
The Actor: Best known for his turns in sci-fi hits Star Trek and Terminator Salvation , Yelchin made his first bona fide leading man appearance in recent horror remake Fright Night . And from the look of his slate in 2012, it’s going to be the first big role of many…
Why So Hot? He’ll be continuing to scoop rave reviews for his starring role in upcoming romance Like Crazy which recently wowed audiences at Sundance. After that comes a leading role in Dean Koontz adaptation Odd Thomas , co-starring with Milla Jovovich in The Winter Queen and at some point down the track, another appearance as Chekhov in the much-hyped Star Trek sequel.
Ezra Miller
The Actor: Rightly feted for his turn as the terrifyingly self-possessed protagonist of We Need To Talk About Kevin , Miller has the kind of unsettling intensity that could see him playing off-beam villains for years to come.
Why So Hot? He’ll be a key component of high-school drama The Perks Of Being A Wallflower , in which his character takes Logan Lerman’s Freshman under his wing and introduces him to a heady new world of sex, drugs and alcohol. Another shady character then, although not quite as dangerous to know as Kevin.
Logan Lerman
The Actor: Promoted as the next big thing after taking the lead in the underwhelming Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief , Lerman has impressed in smaller roles in the likes of 3:10 to Yuma and the recent Three Musketeers update.
Why So Hot? He’ll be starring opposite Nina Debrov and Emma Watson in one of 2012’s most hotly anticipated films, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower , and looking further ahead, he’ll also be starring in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea Of Monsters . If that movie has a bit more zip than the original, it could be the platform that propels Lerman to Daniel Radcliffe levels of fame.
Jeremy Irvine
The Actor: A virtual unknown, whose only major role to date has been a part in kids show Life Bites , Irvine was plucked from obscurity by Steven Spielberg, who selected him to play the lead in upcoming adaptation War Horse . Cliché it might be, but this really is the stuff dreams are made of…
Why So Hot? As young soldier Albert, Irvine will shoulder much of the work in Spielberg’s tear-jerking epic, although Joey the horse will likely steal audiences’ hearts. After War Horse , Irvine will be starring as Pip in Mike Newell’s take on Great Expectations , rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter. It’s going to be an exciting year for the young Englishman…
Taylor Kitsch
The Actor: Kitsch looked set for breakout stardom back in 2009 when he appeared as card-slinging Cajun, Gambit, in super-prequel X-Men Origins . The leading roles have taken a while to emerge, although a recurring role in telly show Friday Night Lights has stopped him slipping off the radar altogether.
Why So Hot? Kitsch will play the title role in sci-fi adventure John Carter , leading an impressive ensemble containing Bryan Cranston, Dominic West and Mark Strong. Following that, he’ll be co-starring with Liam Neeson and Rihanna in potential guilty pleasure Battleship .
Dave Franco
The Actor: James Franco’s little brother Dave appeared in a smallish role in Superbad , before bagging supporting roles in the likes of Greenberg , The Death And Life Of Charlie St. Cloud and the recent Fright Night remake.
Why So Hot? Franco will be re-teaming with Superbad co-star Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street , before attaching himself to a potential mega-hit in the form of zombie romance Warm Bodies . Biggest of all however, is his casting in Shakesperean update Rosaline , in which he’ll be playing Romeo to Hailee Steinfeld’s Juliet.
Liam Hemsworth
The Actor: Younger brother to hammer-throwing man of action Chris Hemsworth, Liam cut his dramatic teeth in Aussie soap Neighbours before making a splash in Hollywood through the likes of Knowing and The Last Song .
Why So Hot? He plays Gale Hawthorne in soon-to-be-massive franchise The Hunger Games , the rugged counterpoint to Josh Hutcherson’s babyfaced charmer. Following that, he’ll be taking his place in one of the starriest action casts ever assembled when The Expendables 2 arrives in August 2012. Trust us, he won’t be in big brother’s shadow for long!
Josh Hutcherson
The Actor: The fresh-faced star of such family-friendly fantasies as Bridge To Terabithia , Journey To The Centre Of The Earth and Cirque Du Freak , Hutcherson recently scored critical acclaim for his part in Oscar-nommed domestic drama The Kids Are All Right .
Why So Hot? As well as appearing alongside Vanessa Hudgens and The Rock in sequel Journey 2 , Hutcherson will play Peeta Mellark in teen action franchise The Hunger Games . His character is an ally of Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen and one third of a love triangle involving Liam Hemsworth’s Gale Hawthorne. It’s like Edward vs. Jacob all over again…
Andrew Garfield
The Actor: Shooting to stardom as the warmth and heart of The Social Network , American-English star Garfield consolidated his A-list credentials with a leading role in Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go . Going further back, his gutsy turn in the Channel 4 adaptation of David Peace’s Red Riding trilogy is also worth digging out.
Why So Hot? So far in his career, Garfield has largely been restricted to supporting roles, but that all changes in summer 2012 when he succeeds Tobey Maguire as The Amazing Spider-Man ’s web-slinger extraordinaire. Starring opposite off-screen girlfriend Emma Stone, he’ll be playing Peter Parker as a high-school outcast struggling to cope with his newfound powers. After that, the world should be Garfield’s oyster…
