Entertainment

Why Chloe Moretz Should Be Your Next Leading Lady

by Kadeen Griffiths

Move over Jennifer Lawrence. Young adult movie adaptions are still in the hit or miss stage. For every Twilight, Hunger Games and Divergent, there's a Beautiful Creatures, Mortal Instruments, Vampire Academy. Hollywood hasn't seemed to figure out what the formula is to creating the next big franchise, but it's safe bet to speculate that part of it might be in the leading lady. Sony Pictures is in final talks with Chloe Moretz to play the lead role in an adaptation of The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy and Moretz is a young actress that's already proven herself capable of being a box office draw.

The 5th Wave tells the story of a girl named Cassie Sullivan, who is one of earth's last survivors in a world where the first four waves of an alien invasion has already decimated the population. On the run to save her baby brother, she meets a mysterious man who might be her only hope to survive the titular fifth wave.

Chloe Moretz is, in a way, the film version of Lorde. She's seventeen years old, richer than all of us put together, and more talented than any of us were at that age. She may have considered the young adult label diminishing to the value of one of her movies, but she clearly has nothing against the genre as a whole. Moretz has the potential to make The 5th Wave the next big movie franchise not just because it's another installment in the popular dystopian trend launched by the Hunger Games, but because of the things she's proven in her previous roles.

1. She Can Act Above Her Age Group

It came as a shock to watch the movie that made Moretz a household name and see a then 11 year old Moretz play foul-mouthed, sociopathic, violence-loving Hit-Girl. Moretz gave interviews at the time where she assured everyone that she was not allowed to use those kinds of words at home, usually referring to Kick-Ass as "Kick-Butt" or "The Movie", but she was everyone's favorite part of the comic book adaptation and inspired a cult following that carried her into the sequel.

2. She Has Amazing Range

While she was still best known for her tough girl characters, Moretz appeared as Isabelle in Martin Scorsese's Hugo. Isabelle is mysterious, intelligent, and yet strong and spunky, blending everything we've come to expect from a Chloe Moretz performance with a soft femininity that truly shows her range as an actress. And she was only 13 years old when she appeared in the film.

3. She Can Hold Her Own Against A-List Stars

Moretz appeared as the rebellious Carolyn Stoddard in Dark Shadows, a Tim Burton film that starred Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Greene, and Michelle Pfeiffer. It wasn't a comparatively large role, but despite the negative reviews the movie received, Moretz's performance was still on parr with that of her much older and more experienced co-stars. If she was intimidated, it definitely didn't transfer into her acting.

4. She Can Make You Sympathize With Anyone

Despite the fact that we all know how Carrie ends, Moretz's performance in the remake of the movie really tugged at the heartstrings. She did an amazing job of portraying Carrie as a vulnerable, awkward, desperate teenager who was pushed too many times before she snapped. She even managed to have theaters cheering as she took her revenge.

If The 5th Wave goes forward with Chloe Moretz as their leading lady, then they're in good hands.

Image: Tumblr; Tumblr; Tumblr; Tumblr