Pop star Hathaway, SeaWorld-bound Grande: Hollywood's wild cards in November

Anne Hathaway has become a world-famous pop star — on screen, at least — while real-world pop star Ariana Grande steps into Hollywood's most beloved comedy franchise. Johnny Depp transforms into literature's most notorious miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Jessica Chastain plays a dual role in a horror film. Hollywood's biggest names are cheerfully defying their established formulas, unrolling a fresh canvas for audiences this month.

November's theatrical lineup ranges from stars crossing the pop-actor divide to beloved veterans showing audiences an unfamiliar face, according to industry observers. The era when a famous name alone could fill seats has given way to a new benchmark: how radically can a familiar star reinvent themselves?

The stakes are particularly high as November serves as a crucial bridge before the year-end blockbuster rush. Whether these dramatic reinventions — from glamorous pop idol to cantankerous miser to a terror lurking in the home — can persuade audiences to open their wallets will be one of the season's most closely watched questions.

The most anticipated film kicking off November's lineup is "Mother Mary," directed by David Lowery, opening Wednesday. Hathaway, beloved for her role as aspiring fashion magazine assistant Andy in "The Devil Wears Prada," trades the designer handbag for a microphone this time, commanding the pop stage as the title character. As comeback-bound pop star Mother Mary, she seeks out Sam (Michaela Coel), an estranged friend and designer, to create the one perfect outfit that will complete her return. The two, who once trusted each other completely, are forced to confront old wounds and buried secrets as the dress takes shape.

Hathaway, who has shown remarkable range in roles such as Fantine in "Les Misérables," immediately commands attention as a dazzling pop star. She dyed her hair blonde, underwent intensive dance training and studied documentaries and music by real pop stars to build the character. During filming, she performed full concert-style stage sequences in front of 400 extras. Director Lowery, known for "A Ghost Story," brings a delicate eye to the inner life beneath the glitter, while the addition of artists with strong followings — Hunter Schafer and FKA twigs — adds further texture to the film.

Opening Nov. 25, "Meet the Parents 4" marks the return of Ariana Grande, who has steadily expanded from pop stardom into acting. Audiences can set aside memories of her graceful turn as the good witch Glinda in the recent blockbuster "Wicked": here, Grande puts down the magic wand and tumbles headlong into the chaos of SeaWorld as a pop star caught in a family comedy catastrophe.

The fourth installment in the Hollywood comedy series that launched in 2000, the film reunites Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in their signature roles. The story centers on the mayhem that erupts when Greg Focker (Stiller) introduces his son Henry's fiancée, Olivia (Grande), to the family. Grande, who has been acting since childhood, must hold her own against a cast of veterans — whether she can fully blend into a classic comedy ensemble is the film's biggest draw.

While the pop stars bring a provocative energy to the multiplex, veteran dramatic actors are adding weight and gravity by stepping into unfamiliar genre territory.

Also opening Wednesday is "Scrooge: A Christmas Carol," starring Depp. Based on the Charles Dickens classic, the film follows Ebenezer Scrooge as he encounters three spirits on Christmas Eve and is compelled to reckon with his life. Depp, who has built a career on eccentric originals — Captain Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka — reinvents himself here as a cold-blooded curmudgeon who would make even Edward Scissorhands wince, his gray hair and sardonic expression erasing the familiar face beneath. Director Ti West helms the production, with Ian McKellen and Rupert Grint rounding out the cast.

Opening Nov. 18, "Other Mommy" offers Jessica Chastain's foray into horror. Chastain, who took home the Academy Award for best actress in 2022, leads a deeply unsettling story about a young girl who encounters a mysterious figure inside her home that looks exactly like her mother. Playing both the warm, loving mother and the threatening doppelganger, Chastain delivers the chilling moment when the most familiar face becomes the most terrifying presence. Directed by Rob Savage, the film cuts sharply into the audience's psychological blind spots and shapes up as one of the season's dark-horse contenders.

A meeting of Hollywood's most formidable acting talents is also primed for November. Opening Wednesday, "Pressure" is a historical thriller pairing Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser. Set against the Allied preparations for the D-Day landings in World War II, the film dramatizes the crushing weight of weather forecasting and strategic decision-making. Scott, familiar to audiences from "Sherlock," and Fraser, who won the Academy Award for best actor for "The Whale," clash in a suffocating psychological battle inside the sealed rooms of history.

"Wild Horse Nine," which opened Wednesday, has already been whetting the appetite of film fans. Set against the political upheaval of Chile in 1973, it follows CIA operatives confronting a secret on Easter Island. Director Martin McDonagh, a master of black comedy, lays the groundwork for John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi to dive in gleefully and hatch a delightfully sinister conspiracy. Critics say watching this ensemble of singular personalities is worth the price of admission on its own.