Major Actors Who Have No Movies Or Shows In 2024

If you sit through the end credits of any movie, you'll see just how many people it takes to bring it from the storyboard to the big screen. While the recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have brought to the forefront just how crucial everyone is to a film's production, there's no denying that the actors themselves are an important part of making any film or show a reality. Crucially, they are often the big draw that encourages audiences to spend their time or money on watching them. 

Hollywood's shining stars can't dazzle all the time, however, and there are many who currently don't have any projects scheduled for release in 2024. For some, their personal lives are taking precedence over movies for now, while for others it's simply time for a much-needed break after a busy year. Whatever the reason may be, we'll be taking a look at some of the biggest names in Hollywood who won't be seen on screen in 2024.

Tom Cruise's 40-year-long career began with a supporting role in the romantic drama "Endless Love" back in 1981. He soon advanced to leading roles just a few years later, with a career-defining role in "Top Gun" arriving in 1985. Cruise has appeared in films nearly every year since, thanks in part to the hit action franchise "Mission Impossible," which put Cruise in the shoes of fictional spy Ethan Hunt.

In the competitive summer of 2023, the series continued with "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," which saw Ethan Hunt once again teaming up with fellow Impossible Mission Force agents Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg). This time around, the crew set out to stop a dangerous and highly advanced artificial intelligence from falling into the hands of some of the most dangerous people on the planet. Despite not performing quite as well as anticipated at the box office — competing with both "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" — "Dead Reckoning Part One" left audiences with an open ending that begged for a swift sequel. But as relayed by The Hollywood Reporter, production shut down while the cast and crew promoted "Dead Reckoning Part One," and the nearly four-month-long SAG-AFTRA strike delayed things further. This means we won't be seeing "Dead Reckoning Part Two" until 2025.

Johnny Depp made his film debut as the troubled teen Glen Lantz in the first "Nightmare on Elm Street" film. His acting career would flourish in the '90s, taking on starring roles in titles like "Edward Scissorhands," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." In 2003, however, he landed perhaps his most iconic role, starring as the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."

While the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series proved immensely popular — and lucrative — for Depp, it all came crashing down shortly after the fifth entry, as serious allegations of domestic abuse were levied against the actor. In the immediate aftermath, Disney cut ties with Depp, axing him from any plans for a sixth installment in the franchise. While he continued to work on a number of smaller-scale film roles before and during the highly publicized and contentious trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, 2024 is set to be the first year in over a decade without an appearance in a new film or television project by Depp — at least, in front of the camera.

As reported by Variety, Depp is instead looking to return to directing, with a new project titled "Modi" focusing on the life of the late Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. It's set to feature a mix of Italian and American stars, with Al Pacino joining Luisa Ranieri and Riccardo Scamarcio, who will play Modigliani.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

With one of the most prolific careers on television among all of the performers we're looking at, Bill Hader has more than a few commendable films under his belt too. Like many great actors and comedians before him, regular appearances on "Saturday Night Live" for nearly a decade transformed Hader from an unknown to top talent. After largely moving on from the nighttime comedy series, Hader would star in films like "The Skeleton Twins" and the second installment of the recent "It" film adaptation, before landing the title role in the critically acclaimed dark comedy series "Barry."

With the conclusion of "Barry" after a four-season run over five years in Spring 2023, though, Hader is left without a regular television role for the first time in his career. But as part of what seems to be an emerging pattern among some of acting's top talent, he's publicly shared intentions to reposition himself when it comes to film and TV. In an interview with Hader published by The Hollywood Reporter shortly before the final episode of "Barry" aired, he signaled that the next move is likely shifting over to directing, but that he's also "learning to just remain open," meaning not even Hader knows what'll come next. Whatever it may be, it will certainly be something worth keeping your eyes open for. 

Entering the acting scene in the late '00s with a recurring role in the Australian soap "Neighbours," it wasn't until a breakout role in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" in 2013 that Margot Robbie became a rising star in the world of Hollywood. From there the roles started pouring in for the Aussie actress, and she has appeared in some of the past decade's most memorable films. Standout titles include "Suicide Squad" where she played the Joker's partner in crime Harley Quinn for the first time, Oscar-nominated performances in "I, Tonya" and "Bombshell," and a lead role in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

If anything, the 2020s are shaping up to be another excellent decade for the actress, who returned for James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," before taking on a highly anticipated role in the box office juggernaut "Barbie." Now that the dust has settled over the viral "Barbenheimer" battle at the box office, it's only natural to wonder what's next on the horizon for Margot Robbie. Given just how much the SAG-AFTRA strike affected the world of Hollywood, it perhaps isn't that surprising that there's a whole lot of nothing on the horizon for Robbie — at least for 2024.

If we set our sights a bit further, there's another high-profile title in the works that will see her not only return to the silver screen in a big way but will also reunite her with "Barbie" costar Ryan Gosling. As covered by the Associated Press in October 2023, the two have been cast in an upcoming entry in the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise, set to be helmed by "Austin Powers" and "Bombshell" director Jay Roach.

A titan of the industry, George Clooney is another of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, commanding impressive salaries for equally impressive films. Among his most memorable are 1999's wartime comedy "Three Kings," several entries in the "Oceans Eleven" series, and the out-of-this-world "Gravity." But come 2024, there's little we can expect to see from Clooney. This is consistent with his reduced output in recent years which has seen him drifting away from acting and diversifying what he's doing with his career.

That doesn't mean he's walking away from Hollywood entirely of course, as evidenced by a soon-to-be-released period piece titled "The Boys in the Boats," which Clooney has directed. Additionally, it's been reported that Clooney will be teaming up with Brad Pitt in an upcoming thriller titled "Wolves," however in light of what was a tumultuous year, to say the least for film development, its release date is still murky.