It feels like Taron Egerton hasn't slept since 2024. Honestly, if you’ve been keeping track of his schedule, the guy is basically living on film sets and red carpets. After the massive streaming numbers for Carry-On—which, let's be real, was the Christmas thriller nobody knew they needed until it dropped—he’s already pivoting. Hard.
The new Taron Egerton movie everyone is whispering about is titled Apex. It isn't another Kingsman romp or a flashy musical. It’s gritty. It’s sweaty. And according to the first looks we've seen, it’s going to be absolutely brutal.
Why Apex is the New Taron Egerton Movie You Aren’t Ready For
Most people still associate Taron with the polished suits of Eggsy or the sequined glasses of Elton John. Apex is the total opposite of that. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur—the man who made Everest and 2 Guns—this is a survival thriller that looks like it belongs in the 1970s "man vs. nature" era, but with a terrifying modern twist.
Here is the setup: Charlize Theron plays Sasha, a rock climber who heads into the Australian wilderness to process some heavy grief. Standard enough, right? Wrong. She ends up being hunted by a "ruthless predator."
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And that predator? That’s Taron.
He is playing a character named Ben. If you've seen the 2025 hit She Rides Shotgun, you know Taron has been leaning into this "shaved head, tattooed, absolutely shredded" look. In Apex, he’s taking that intensity and turning it into something much more sinister. This isn't a hero role. It’s a "he might actually be a psychopath" role.
The Timeline: When Does It Actually Drop?
Netflix has been pretty strategic with this one. They officially set the global premiere for April 24, 2026.
It’s a smart move. They’re catching that spring window where everyone is tired of winter movies but not quite ready for the massive summer blockbusters. Filming took place throughout 2025 in New South Wales, Australia. If you’ve ever seen a Kormákur movie, you know he doesn't do green screens if he can help it.
Charlize Theron actually talked to People about how physically demanding the shoot was. She was climbing actual mountains barefoot. Taron was right there with her in the dirt. It’s a three-person show, basically, with Eric Bana rounding out the cast as a character named Tommy.
Imagine the logistics of that. Hiking gear. Remote locations. Extreme heat. No trailers within miles. That kind of environment does something to an actor's performance that you just can't fake on a soundstage in London.
Breaking Down the "Bad Guy" Evolution
Let’s talk about why this role matters for Taron’s career. For a long time, there was this worry that he’d be typecast as the "cheeky lad." Black Bird on Apple TV+ started to break that mold, showing he could handle dark, claustrophobic drama.
But Apex is different.
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Playing a hunter—a literal human hunter—requires a specific kind of coldness. It’s a departure from the warmth he usually brings to the screen.
- Physicality: He’s reportedly in the best shape of his life for this, even surpassing the Kingsman days.
- The Psychological Shift: Ben isn't a misunderstood anti-hero. He's the obstacle.
- Collaboration: Working with Theron, who is basically the queen of modern action (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Old Guard), sets the bar incredibly high.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Current Slate
There’s a misconception that Taron is "leaving" big franchises behind. While he's busy with these intense Netflix projects, he’s actually diversifying. He’s producing now, too. He earned a producer credit on She Rides Shotgun because he wanted more say in the storytelling, not just the acting.
He’s basically following the Tom Hardy or Cillian Murphy path—one foot in the massive "hits" and one foot in the weird, gritty, artistic stuff that actually challenges him.
The Carry-On Effect
You can't talk about the new Taron Egerton movie without acknowledging how much Carry-On changed his "bankability" in the eyes of streamers. That movie pulled in over 97 million views in its first ten days.
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Netflix realized that people will tune in just to see Taron solve a problem in a high-pressure environment. Apex is just the natural evolution of that. It takes the "man in a box" tension of a TSA office and throws it into the vast, terrifying open space of the Australian outback.
Actionable Insights: How to Prepare for the Premiere
If you want to be fully caught up before April 24, there’s a bit of homework you should do. Watching his recent work gives you a roadmap of how he ended up in Apex.
- Watch She Rides Shotgun (2025): This is where the physical transformation really started. It’s on Prime Video/MGM+ right now. It’s a father-daughter road trip movie from hell, and it’s arguably his best acting to date.
- Revisit Black Bird: If you want to see the "dark" Taron, this is the blueprint. It proves he can hold his own against heavyweight actors like Paul Walter Hauser.
- Check out Kormákur’s Everest: To understand the visual style of Apex, watch how the director handles characters trapped by their environment.
The buzz around the new Taron Egerton movie is only going to get louder as we hit the spring. This isn't just another thriller; it's the moment Taron officially graduates from "rising star" to a legitimate, powerhouse lead who can carry a film on his back—even if he's playing the guy you're supposed to be afraid of. Keep an eye on the Netflix "Coming Soon" tab as we get closer to April; the full-length trailer is expected to drop about six weeks before the release.