Jenna Ortega is everywhere. Honestly, it’s getting hard to keep up. One minute she’s the face of a gothic Netflix phenomenon, and the next, she’s headlining a bizarre A24 flick about mythical creatures. If you’ve been tracking her career since she played young Jane on Jane the Virgin, you know this isn't just a "hot streak." It’s a complete takeover.
But there’s a lot of noise out there. People keep asking about "the new Jenna Ortega movie" without realizing she has about four different projects in various stages of "what on earth is going on?" Between the secretive J.J. Abrams sci-fi and the long-delayed romance with her Wednesday co-star, the timeline is messy.
The Great Beyond: The Secretive 2026 Blockbuster
The biggest thing on the horizon is The Great Beyond. For months, we only knew this as "the secret J.J. Abrams movie." It was filmed under the code name Ghostwriter, and the internet spent most of 2025 trying to figure out if it was a Cloverfield sequel or something brand new.
It's brand new.
Warner Bros. finally dropped the title and a release date: November 13, 2026. Jenna is starring alongside Glen Powell, who is basically the only other person in Hollywood working as hard as she is right now. They’ve got Emma Mackey and Samuel L. Jackson in the mix too.
The plot? Still a vault. Abrams is famous for his "mystery box" approach, but we do know it’s a high-octane sci-fi adventure that’s getting a massive IMAX release. The timing is risky, though. It’s opening the same day as Ti West’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol (yes, the Johnny Depp one). If you're a fan of Jenna’s work in X, you’ll appreciate the irony of her going head-to-head with her former director.
Why Klara and the Sun Is Her Most Important Role
If The Great Beyond is the box-office play, Klara and the Sun is the "please give this girl an Oscar" play. Based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, Jenna plays Klara, an Artificial Friend (basically a high-end robot) designed to keep lonely teenagers company.
Taika Waititi is directing, which usually means a mix of heart-wrenching sadness and weird humor. This isn't just another teen movie. It’s a heavy meditation on what it means to love when you aren't technically human.
- The Cast: Amy Adams plays the mother, and Mia Tharia is the girl Klara is bought for.
- The Vibe: Think Never Let Me Go but with more futuristic New Zealand scenery.
- The Status: Filming wrapped a while ago, and we’re looking at a 2025/2026 release window depending on how long Taika takes in the edit suite.
People sort of underestimate Jenna’s range because she’s so good at being deadpan. But playing a robot requires a weirdly specific kind of physicality. She has to be "off" without being a caricature. From what we’ve heard from the set in Queenstown, she’s leaning hard into the uncanny valley territory.
The Drama Behind Winter Spring Summer or Fall
We have to talk about the Percy Hynes White situation. It’s the elephant in the room whenever this movie comes up. Winter Spring Summer or Fall was filmed way back when the Wednesday hype was at its peak. It’s a "four days in a year" romance, very Before Sunrise vibes.
Then, the personal controversy surrounding Percy Hynes White hit. He was written out of Wednesday Season 2, leaving this movie in a weird limbo. Paramount finally bit the bullet and gave it a quiet release in early 2025.
It’s currently streaming on Paramount+. Honestly? It’s a cute movie. It shows a side of Jenna we don't see often—vulnerable, romantic, and not covered in blood or black eyeliner. She plays Remi, a high achiever headed for Harvard who meets a "live in the moment" guy named Barnes. It’s a classic trope, but their chemistry is actually pretty grounded. If you missed the theatrical run (most people did), it’s worth a watch just to see her do something "normal."
Death of a Unicorn: A24’s Weirdest Bet
Then there’s the unicorn movie. Yes, a movie where Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd run over a unicorn with their car.
Death of a Unicorn hit theaters in March 2025, and it divided everyone. Some critics called it a tonal disaster; others loved the biting satire of the pharmaceutical industry. Jenna plays Ridley, the daughter of Paul Rudd’s character. They accidentally kill the creature and end up at a wilderness retreat owned by a billionaire who wants to use the unicorn’s blood for "miraculous" healing.
It’s dark. It’s gross. It’s very A24.
What’s interesting is how Jenna handles the "Gen-Z sage" role. She’s often the moral compass in these weird stories. While Paul Rudd’s character is panicking and making terrible choices, she’s the one pointing out how messed up the situation is. It didn't break the box office—it only made about $16 million—but it’s already becoming a cult favorite on digital platforms.
Sorting Fact from Fiction
You've probably seen those posters on Facebook or TikTok for Beetlejuice 3 or a Wednesday solo movie. Most of that is fake. Here is the actual state of Jenna’s filmography as of early 2026:
- Wednesday Season 2: It’s finally out. The split release (August and September 2025) was a massive hit for Netflix, even with the shift toward more horror and less "teen drama."
- Hurry Up Tomorrow: This was the thriller with The Weeknd and Barry Keoghan. It came out in 2025 but, to be blunt, it flopped. Critics hated it.
- The Great Beyond: This is the current "active" project. Post-production is happening right now in London.
- Klara and the Sun: Expect a trailer soon. Sony is likely eyeing a fall film festival debut to build awards buzz.
What to Watch Right Now
If you are waiting for the J.J. Abrams epic in November, you’ve got time to kill. Don't just re-watch Wednesday for the tenth time.
Go find X. It’s still her best horror performance because she isn't the lead. She’s part of an ensemble, and her "scream" in that movie is legendary. Or, if you want something lighter, find her hosting stint on SNL. It shows she can actually handle live comedy, which is a rare skill for someone who built a career on being a "scream queen."
The "Jenna Ortega Movie" era isn't slowing down. If anything, 2026 is the year she moves from "famous TV actress" to "undisputed movie star." Moving from the small screen to a $200 million J.J. Abrams sci-fi is the ultimate power move.
Check the Paramount+ library for Winter Spring Summer or Fall if you want the romance, or grab a digital rental of Death of a Unicorn if you want to see her and Paul Rudd deal with a dead mythical horse. Just make sure you've got your tickets booked for The Great Beyond when November rolls around. That’s the one everyone will be talking about at the 2027 Oscars.