Deadline reported in August 2024 that Jenna Ortega was in final talks to join J.J. Abrams’ secret Warner Bros. movie alongside Glen Powell. The project still had no public title, but the cast was starting to come into focus.
Adding Ortega changed the feel of the story right away. It was no longer just Abrams returning with a mystery movie. It was Abrams returning with Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega attached to the same project.
Now that the film has been revealed as The Great Beyond, this report reads like one of the biggest early casting milestones in the movie’s public rollout.
Source: Deadline