BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Today the Oscar-winning actress is associated with kicking ass across franchises from Mad Max to Fast and Furious. But when Charlize Theron first came to America in 1994, the (then aspiring) South African actress learned English by watching soap operas.

Theron found her agent while auditioning for –but luckily not landing a role in— Showgirls. And she broke through Hollywood in the late-90s with a trifecta of roles in The Devil’s Advocate, the 1998 Mighty Joe Young remake, and The Cider House Rules. 

She won an Oscar for Best Actress for portraying real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003’s Monster. In 2006, she was again nominated for Best Actress for Josephine “Josey” Aimes in the drama North County (opposite Frances McDormand and Sean Bean).

She took a two-year hiatus from acting after 2009’s apocalyptic downer drama The Road, returning in 2011 for Jason Reitman’s dark comedy Young Adult as divorced ghostwriter Mavis Gary (a Golden Globe-nominated role).

Her third —and most recent— Oscar nom came for her portrayal of the journalist (and Oprah critic) Megyn Kelly in the 2019 drama Bombshell about Roger Ailes and sexual abuse at Fox News. 

In addition to acting, Theron has produced many of her films including Tully, and The Old Guard, through her production company, Denver & Delilah Films.

As both an actress and a producer, Theron has a lot on her plate. Let’s take a look at some of her upcoming projects:

F9

She will appear as Cipher —the criminal mastermind and cyberterrorist— in the entry to the long-running franchise. According to press statements, she’ll be teaming up with John Cena’s assassin character, Jakob Toretto.

This film is set for wide release on June 25, 2021.

 

The Addams Family 2

Theron will return as goth-icon Morticia Addams —her husband Gomez Addams again to be voiced by Oscar Isaac. 

Bill Hader will join the cast as the new character of Cyrus.

This film (like its 2019 computer-animated precursor) was co-produced by Theron’s production company Denver & Delilah Films.

It is now scheduled for theatrical release on October 1, 2021.

The School for Good and Evil

This Netflix fantasy film is currently shooting in Northern Ireland. Based on the 2013 book of the same name by Soman Chainani, it will tell the story of best friends Sophie and Agatha, who are kidnapped and taken to the titular school. Theron will be playing Sophie’s mentor, Lady Lesso. 

The film will star Sophia Anne Caruso (the original Lydia Deetz in Broadway’s Beetlejuice) as Sophie and Sofia Wylie (of Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) as Agatha. Also, Kerry Washington has a supporting role as Professor Clarissa Dovey. The project is helmed by director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, 2016’s Ghostbusters, and A Simple Favor).

It is currently set for a 2022 release. 

 

Atomic Blonde 2

This sequel to the 2017 action thriller Atomic Blonde may be heading to Netflix. Returning as Lorraine Broughton, Theron is also a producer on this project. She confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter that during COVID-19 lockdown, she was having writers’ meetings via Zoom about the sequel. The first entry in this franchise was based on the graphic novel The Coldest City.

 

Need To Know

Based on the spy novel by ex-CIA analyst Karen Cleveland, Theron and her production company, scooped up the rights before the book hit shelves. 

The New York Times Bestseller tells the story of a CIA analyst who accidentally discovers that someone close to her is a Russian spy —and of course, it puts her in danger.

This project was announced in 2017, and it is still in development. It is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic affects it. 

Two Eyes Staring

This announced horror project had attached Director/Writer Scott Derrickson (Director of Sinister, the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and writer of the first Doctor Strange) and his longtime co-screenwriting partner Paul Harris Boardman (also a co-writer on The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Devil’s Knot). 

It’s set to be the English language remake of the 2010 Dutch horror film Zwart water with actress Hadewych Minis (known to American audiences as Tatjana in Toni Erdmann). It tells of a young girl who meets the evil ghost of her mother’s twin.

This project has been in development since 2010, attaching new names through 2017. Its status is currently uncertain —especially given the director’s schedule. Theron would also be a producer for this project. 

 

Force

This project is listed as in-development, with Theron as a producer for this crime drama about a group of corrupt vigilantes. Preliminary casting lists Taraji P. Henson. And it has attached writers Brian Horiuchi (Parts Per Billion and CBS’s SEAL Team TV series) and Dan Nowak (TV’s The Expanse and The Killing)