J. Abrams’ Mystery Project**

Emma Mackey, a BAFTA Rising Star Award recipient, has been cast alongside prominent actors Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega in an upcoming, still-untitled mystery film by J.J. Abrams, Deadline reports. Warner Bros and Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, are behind the project. While the specifics of Mackey's role and the movie's plot remain unrevealed, insiders have dispelled rumors that it involves time travel. Abrams will both write and direct this film, with Bad Robot overseeing production.

Mackey is enjoying a prosperous period in her career, recently earning praise for her role in Greta Gerwig's highly successful "Barbie." Prior to this, she portrayed the literary figure Emily Brontë in Frances O'Connor's Warner Bros drama "Emily." Mackey first gained significant attention through her performance as Maeve Wiley on Netflix's series "Sex Education" and also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's "Death on the Nile."

Looking ahead, Mackey is set to star in several high-profile projects. She will share the screen with Fiona Shaw and Vicky Krieps in "Hot Milk," a mother-daughter drama directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on Deborah Levy's bestselling novel. Furthermore, Mackey will play the titular character in James L. Brooks' film "Ella McCay" for 20th Century Studios, hinting at an exciting future for the versatile actress.

J.J. Abrams, whose last directorial work was "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019, recently produced the Amazon MGM documentary "The Blue Angels." Abrams’ Bad Robot is also involved in several forthcoming projects, including David Robert Mitchell's "Flowervale Street" and the drama series "Duster" for Max. Over the summer, Bad Robot entered negotiations to renew its film and TV deal with Warner Bros.

Warner Bros is currently active on multiple fronts, having secured a deal for Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights," initiated early development of a "Game of Thrones" movie, and started work on an "Emily the Strange" animated feature. Following the premieres of Clint Eastwood's "Juror No. 2" and the holiday film "Red One," Warner Bros is gearing up for the release of the animated "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim," set to debut on December 13.