Jenna Ortega has shared fresh details about her mysterious new science-fiction film. The project reunites her with director J.J. Abrams and co-star Glen Powell. Abrams’ untitled project is officially called The Great Beyond. The film is scheduled to hit theaters in October 2027.
Ortega talked about their film during an interview with Esquire. She praised Abrams for creating an original story after directing major Star Wars and Star Trek projects, and also revealed details about her role. The Wednesday star said, “He’s very intentional with everything. The character that I play is a lost young person in a new city. [She has] a confusing history and finds a friend in Glen Powell’s character . . . and that’s pretty much all I could say!”
She added, “She’s very knowledgeable about one thing. This is her obsession. She’s quite manic the way that she loves this thing, and it takes over her whole personality. So it was nice for me to play somebody who’s just obsessed with something like that. A freak in a different way.”
What else do we know about J.J. Abrams’ new movie with Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell?
The story details have been kept top-secret. Footage shown at CinemaCon described the movie as being about “another world out of sight and sound.”
The Great Beyond also stars Emma Mackey and Samuel L. Jackson. Abrams directs the movie from a screenplay that remains under wraps.
The project marks another move toward original stories for Abrams. He previously directed Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Jenna Ortega was most recently seen in The Gallerist, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. She played Kiki, an anxious assistant caught in an art-world scheme involving a dead body. This film will receive a U.S. theatrical release on December 4, 2026.
The actress is now preparing for the next chapter of Wednesday. She continues filming the third season while developing more film projects.