Credit: Inside the MagicNow that Stranger Things has come to an end with Season 5, audiences will be wondering what’s next for its long line-up of actors. Of course, as filming for the fifth and final season wrapped a long while ago, many of its cast members have already moved on to new projects.
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) will soon be appearing in Enola Holmes 3, and Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) has already starred in two Ghostbusters films (Afterlife and Frozen Empire).
Meanwhile, Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) is enjoying success in his synth pop-rock band Djo, which recently got to Number One in the UK with the song “End of Beginning”. Those are just a few examples of Stranger Things actors who have found success outside Hawkins.
But there’s one actor who’s set to appear in one of the most highly anticipated projects of the year: Sadie Sink. Sink, 23, is best known for playing Max Mayfield in the hit Netflix series.
She was introduced in Season 2 and quickly became a main character alongside the likes of originals Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin).
Sink enjoyed success on Broadway as a child, with her most notable role being Annie. However, during her time on Stranger Things, she also broke onto the movie scene in projects such as Netflix’s Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021) and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021), and in Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar-winning film The Whale (2022).
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Cast Members Break Silence on Season 5’s “Secret Episode”
Now, she’s set to make her mark in the superhero genre in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), opposite Tom Holland.
Though her role remains undisclosed, she will also play the top-secret character in Avengers: Secret Wars (2027), the follow-up to this year’s Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
Speculation around who she’s playing continues. Some fans are convinced she’s a Multiversal version of Mary Jane Watson, while others believe she’s the X-Men mutant Jean Grey. Other rumors point to Annabelle Adams, a character from the Scarlet Spider comics.
Having already played a main character in four seasons of Stranger Things and now set to appear in another high-profile project, clearly, Sink isn’t going anywhere.
But where else might she go next on the silver screen? There is another project that might be a perfect fit for her: Paramount Pictures’ live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.
The untitled live-action/CG hybrid is set for theatrical release on November 17, 2028. Neal H Moritz of the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy is on board as producer, and the studio has reportedly said that it wants to recapture the success of its video game adaptation film series.
The Sonic films blended human actors with CGI characters, something the TMNT films are no strangers to. But while no cast members are attached to the project yet, personally, we think Sadie Sink would make a perfect April O’Neil in the new film.
Not only does she already have the signature red hair – one of the Channel 6 News reporter’s most identifiable traits (along with her yellow jumpsuit) – but Sink’s acting skills also make her a worthy contender to lead a film where she’s essentially the only main human character.
Previously, April O’Neil has been portrayed in live action by Judith Hoag (the original 1990 film), Paige Turco (The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III), and Megan Fox (the two Michael Bay-produced reboots).
For now, it’s wishful thinking, but seeing as Sink is about to break into the superhero genre, it’s not a stretch to imagine her starring alongside the pizza-munching heroes in a half shell.
With all that said, fans are known to have some influence in making fan castings a reality.
Sink herself revealed during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon that her casting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day came as a result of fans speculating that she was set to appear when it wasn’t actually the case.
Two days after she discovered the online theories, she was cast in the project.
“I found out through online theories,” she said. “Before I got cast in Spider-Man, there was speculation online that said ‘Sadie Sink’s going to be in the new Spider-Man‘. I was like, ‘Huh? I am?’ And then sure enough, like, yeah, two days later, they asked me to do it.”
So, feel free to share the hashtag #CastSadieSinkAsAprilONeilInTMNT!
For now, you can watch Sadie Sink in Stranger Things seasons 1-5, which are now streaming on Netflix. Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases in theaters on July 31, this year.
Would you like to see Sadie Sink play April O’Neil in the TMNT reboot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments down below!