It List spring movie guide: Michael B. Jordan, Florence Pugh and the stars stepping out of their comfort zones with new movies

Welcome to the It List Spring Guide, where we share our picks for the best in entertainment. Catch the weekly It List here for the latest releases that we can't wait to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge.

Spring isn’t quite blockbuster season, but it isn’t awards season either. Movies released in this time frame often fall into a hard-to-define middle ground. For that reason, it can be the perfect time for actors to try something new.

Whether they’re prestigious award winners dabbling in action films or internet darlings trying gritty new roles, we rounded up the stars who seem to be challenging their comfort zone.

Will Poulter is everywhere

Will Poulter and Daisy Edgar-Jones in On Swift Horses. (Sony Pictures Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Upcoming projects: Death of a Unicorn is in theaters March 28, Warfare is in theaters April 11 and On Swift Horses is in theaters April 25.

What to know: It’ll be tricky to go to the theaters this season and not see a poster with Will Poulter’s face on it. He’s starring in a horror comedy, a war drama and a historical romance that all hit theaters in March and April.

How these roles are different: Poulter has come a long way from playing the goofy younger brother in We’re the Millers. He’s still goofy at times, but this spring, he’s out to prove that he can be an action star and a romantic villain, too.

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai can do it all

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai attends the premiere of Warfare. (Stewart Cook/A24 via Getty Images)

Upcoming projects: Hell of a Summer opens in theaters on April 4 and Warfare opens in theaters on April 11.

What to know: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai stands out in two ensemble casts for vastly different reasons: In a satirical slasher set at a summer camp, he’s a whimsical cool kid. In a gritty drama based on a true story of warfare, he’s stoic in the face of unimaginable horrors.

How these roles are different: Woon-A-Tai made a name for himself in the dramedy series Reservation Dogs, but as he told Yahoo Entertainment, as his star rises, he doesn’t want to be pinned down to any one genre.

Finn Wolfhard is in his auteur era

Finn Wolfhard in Hell of a Summer. (Neon/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Upcoming project: Hell of a Summer is in theaters April 4.

What to know: Best known for playing a teenager terrorized by evil forces in franchises like Ghostbusters, Stranger Things and It, Finn Wolfhard knows a thing or two about horror. He stars in the satirical slasher Hell of a Summer, which he also co-wrote and co-directed.

How this role is different: Wolfhard’s acting in Hell of a Summer references many of his past characters, but he’s out to prove that he’s mastered horror enough to satirize it both in front of and behind the camera.

Viola Davis is undefinable

Viola Davis in G20. (Ilze Kitshoff/Amazon Prime Video/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Upcoming projects: G20 starts streaming on Prime Video April 10.

What to know: Viola Davis stars as the president of the United States who must defend her family when terrorists take over the G20 summit in South Africa. We’ll be seeing her doing a lot of stunts in a gorgeous red dress.

How this role is different: As Timothée Chalamet said, Davis is one of the greats. She doesn’t have to prove anything — though she’s currently making the case that she can do anything any time.

Meghann Fahy gets gritty

Meghann Fahy in Drop. (Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Upcoming project: Drop is in theaters April 11.

What to know: Meghann Fahy stole the show in The Perfect Couple and The White Lotus playing sublimely cool women with a knack for leisure. In Drop, she plays against type as a nervous widowed mother who’s terrorized by mysterious messages.

How this role is different: Instead of playing a deliciously wealthy person with a dark twist, she’s leading with darkness, launching her bid to escape typecast purgatory.

Rami Malek returns to action

Rami Malek in The Amateur. (John Wilson/20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Upcoming projects: The Amateur is in theaters April 11.

What to know: Rami Malek plays a CIA cryptographer who embarks on a one-man mission to avenge his wife’s death in The Amateur — his first lead role since playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

How this role is different: Deciding what to do with your time after winning an Oscar is an exciting problem to have. He’s played a Bond villain before, but Malek is out to prove he can lead an action flick.

Michael B. Jordan plays the villain

Michael B. Jordan attends the premiere of The Fire Inside in 2024. (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

Upcoming projects: Sinners opens in theaters April 18.

What to know: We don’t know much about Sinners yet, besides the fact that Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers, and in the trailer, at least one of them appears to be a vampire.

How this role is different: Jordan played a villain in Black Panther, but it’s been a while since we’ve done anything but root for him onscreen. We’ll see if he can escape his own likeability and take a sinister turn — or if we’ll keep rooting for him in his newfound villainy.

Florence Pugh powers up

Florence Pugh in Thunderbolts*. (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Upcoming projects: Thunderbolts* opens in theaters on May 2.

What to know: This isn’t Florence Pugh’s first Marvel movie, but it’s her first time leading one. Thunderbolts* is about a group of antiheroes on a dangerous mission.

How to watch them: We know Pugh can win accolades and boost a blockbuster ensemble, but this could be a career-defining role that sends her on a path similar to Scarlett Johansson’s — ping-ponging between prestige roles and box office hits.

The Weeknd goes Hollywood

The Weeknd at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. (Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Upcoming projects: Hurry Up Tomorrow is in theaters May 16.

What to know: In Hurry Up Tomorrow, a film that serves as a companion piece to his latest album, The Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) plays a fictionalized version of himself on a twisted journey with a stranger.

How this role is different: The Weeknd is one of the most streamed artists out there, and he’s been showing off his acting chops for years. Here he’ll have a shot to combine the two — and to do it better than he did in The Idol.