Mikey Madison’s surprise Best Actress win for Anora at the 2025 Oscars has opened up just about every door in Hollywood for the 25-year-old actress. Before starring in the 4-time Oscar-winner Anora, Madison had only been featured in a handful of major films, starting with a small role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019). Madison earned the lead role in Anora after her notable appearance in 2022’s Scream. She has also had several key roles in television series such as Lady in the Lake (2024) and Better Things (2016-2022).

Her Best Actress Oscar win will absolutely change the trajectory of Madison’s career even though it was already on a highly promising track. She is one of the few Best Actress winners under 30 ever to win the award in the 21st century, joining the likes of Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Brie Larson (Room), Charlize Theron (Monster), Emma Stone (La La Land), and Natalie Portman (Black Swan). Her victory over Hollywood veteran Demi Moore was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the 2025 Academy Awards, although it was well-deserved for her transformative portrayal as the тιтular Sєx worker in Sean Baker’s indie film classic.

Mikey Madison Is In A Unique Spot As An Oscar Winner Based On Her Age

She Could Easily Become The Face Of An Upcoming Blockbuster Franchise

Hollywood going after the most recent Oscar winners for its latest big-budget blockbusters and franchises is not uncommon. At just 25, however, Madison’s age makes this standard protocol a bit different than normal. She joins Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, and Brie Larson as recent under 30 Best Actress winners. All of these actors have gone on to not only star in more critically acclaimed films but also have become faces of major franchises. Madison is not only coming off an acclaimed project, but she’s also someone Hollywood studios will want to be a major figure for years to come.

Following Stone’s Best Actress win for La La Land, she went on to star in Disney’s Cruella, one of its more successful live-action adaptations. Stone has also formed a creative partnership with Yorgos Lanthimos, the celebrated director of The Favourite and Poor Things, both Oscar winners as well. Madison could choose to keep the allure of joining a major Hollywood franchise – particularly Disney – at bay if she is determined to star in more artistic and independent movies. Every Best Actress winner’s road to success is different, with Portman already starring in the Star Wars prequels before finally landing her first Oscar win.

History Suggests Madison Will Join A Major Franchise Soon

All Recent Best Actress Winners Under 30 Have Done So

Jennifer Lawrence was already part of two major franchises, X-Men and The Hunger Games, before she won her Best Actress Oscar but she also returned to each after. Emma Stone was done with Spider-Man by her first Oscar win but she did do Zombieland 2 a few years later. Larson joined the MCU as Captain Marvel as well as the Monsterverse (for one film) very shortly after her Best Actress win. While Madison has already been in Scream, she won’t be back. Based on this history, some sort of franchise play should be in Madison’s future in the next few years if it’s not already in development.

Figuring out what Mikey Madison is going to do next after her Best Actress Oscar win is one of the most compelling unanswered questions in Hollywood right now. While I would love to see Madison continue down the critically acclaimed Oscar-contender route after Anora’s success, it would make total sense for her to pivot into the lucrative world of franchise blockbusters. While it’s not entirely apparent in Anora, Madison is also quite skilled at playing antagonists and characters with an edge. Seeing her play some type of villain in her next role would really flex her versatility but Hollywood likely has other plans in mind.

Mikey Madison Is Already Being Courted For Multiple Big Roles After Her Oscar Win

Madison Could Be Cast In Greta Gerwig’s Upcoming Narnia Films

Whatever Madison’s next movie will be is being kept under wraps, whereas it’s already established that 2-time Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet will star in the Josh Safide comedy Marty Supreme, portraying an ambitious table tennis player. Kieran Culkin, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in A Real Pain, is off to Broadway to perform Glengarry Glen Ross with Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr. 2-time Best Actor winner Adrien Brody is in talks to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Damien Chazelle’s “Evel Knievel” biopic. Madison, however, has yet to reveal what she’s interested in pursuing next.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Madison is being courted for a Colleen Hoover movie and has possibly sparked interest in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia films. There are even some less credible rumors about Marvel having interest, which really isn’t a surprise and is essentially a given for every recent Oscar winner. Madison does not necessarily seem like a great fit for Marvel unless she is playing a villain. Still, with all that Madison has to choose from after her Best Actress win, somehow joining the MCU feels like a low bar. If she is the face of a franchise, it should be one that better suits her skillset.

Expect More Oscar-Caliber Roles For Mikey Madison Too

Madison Shines In Independent & Critically Acclaimed Films

Madison demonstrated with her Best Actress win that she was born to play a fiery character like Anora and thrives in the medium of independent film. She obviously has what it takes to have a bigger role in a franchise but her track record actually makes her better prepared for more critically acclaimed Oscar contenders, which is the route she may want to take. It could be risky to try and double down on her Best Actress win by going for another victory in a few years but that strategy seems to be working fine for at least one of her peers, Timothée Chalamet, whose franchise films are even Oscar winners.

Even if Madison’s potential Oscar contenders don’t pan out and get her Oscar nominations, pursuing more dramas and indies is also something she’ll likely continue to do because she’s great at it. Madison’s research into playing Anora showed her dedication to her craft, for which she was awarded an Oscar. Chasing that type of glory may be more enticing to the rising star actress than being part of the 38th Marvel movie or taking on more limited characters following the impact of Anora.