13 to Watch in 2013

Coming Attractions: A Good Day to Die Hard; Felony; I, Frankenstein
Why He’ll Be Big: Spartacus: Blood and Sand fans will recognize the rugged Aussie from his role as Varro, but Courtney — who also played opposite Tom Cruise in just-opened Jack Reacher — has a full plate for the new year. Most prominent: His role playing the son of ”Yippe ki-yay”-ing John McClane (Bruce Willis) in the fifth Die Hard installment, which opens Feb. 14. If Courtney hopes to take the reins from an iconic action star, he couldn’t do much better than Willis. —Lanford Beard

Coming Attraction: Inside Amy Schumer
Why She’ll Be Big: Schumer has been a mainstay on the stand-up circuit for years, and her upcoming Comedy Central show — premiering April 30 and featuring a mix of sketches, stand-up, and person-on-the-street interviews — will be an excellent entry point into her self-deprecating analysis of social awkwardness. Sample joke: ”I finally slept with my high school crush! But now he expects me to go to his graduation!” —Kyle Anderson

Coming Attraction: Motown: The Musical
Why She’ll Be Big: It’s not her first time at the rodeo, but LeKae takes center stage this spring as Diana Ross in the jukebox tribute to Berry Gordy’s Detroit hit factory (in previews March 11, opens April 14). Those are some big stilettos to fill, but LeKae’s Ragtime and The Book of Mormon training should serve her well as she brings Gordy’s muse and Michael Jackson’s mentor to the Great White Way for the first time (officially, at least). —Lanford Beard

Coming Attraction: Kinky Boots
Why He’ll Be Big: Like LeKae, Porter is no stranger to Broadway. A 21-year theater vet, he’s appeared in productions of Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Also like LeKae, he’s got some big shoes to fill — size 11s, we’re guessing. He’ll play brassy British drag queen Lola, who saves a shoe factory in the spring’s most fabulous new musical (in previews March 3, opens April 4). Considering that Kinky Boots features music by Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper, a book by four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein, and direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell (also a Tony winner), it’s safe to say Porter is in good hands. Then again, considering the raves he’s received for the show’s pre-Broadway run in Chicago, it doesn’t seem like he needs any help. —Lanford Beard

Coming Attraction: Long.Live.A$AP
Why He’ll Be Big: Mixtape sensation Rocky is often the best part of lesser rappers’ albums, and the Harlem native has loaded up his long-awaited solo debut (out Jan. 15) with hard-hitting syrupy beats and killer guest spots from the likes of fellow hot rookies Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, and Schoolboy Q. Most every rapper is obsessed with the high life, but Rocky’s surreal takes on money and women make him a ready-to-pop street poet. —Kyle Anderson

Coming Attraction: Reconstructing Amelia
Why She’ll Be Big: HarperCollins’ bold decision to lead its spring lineup with Reconstructing Amelia speaks volumes about the publishing house’s confidence in McCreight. The litigator-turned-short story writer unveils her first novel April 2. In it, she draws from her own experience as a Brooklyn parent to examine how far a mother will go to cling to the image of her lost daughter. —Lanford Beard

Coming Attraction: 42
Why He’ll Be Big: Not only does Boseman hold his own next to Harrison Ford in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 (out April 12), he also has the acting chops and natural charisma needed to portray a baseball legend and civil rights icon, who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. —Lindsey Bahr

Coming Attractions: Beautiful Creatures, Dolly
Why She’ll Be Big: The 18-year-old daughter of Oscar-winning director Jane Campion (The Piano) has cut her teeth in shorts and indie dramas, but 2013 will see her take the lead as Lena, the young witch at the center of a buzzy page-to-screen YA adaptation. The project, opening Feb. 13, could be Englert’s launchpad for her own supernatural franchise. Later in the year, she’ll grow up for the era-hopping love story Dolly, co-starring Josh Hartnett. —Lanford Beard

Coming Attraction: We Need New Names
Why She’ll Be Big: The protagonist of Bulawayo’s first novel, out May 21, may be named Darling, but this is no precious endeavor. The Zimbabwean author has already earned comparisons to Zadie Smith and J.M. Coetzee for her raw tale of a 10-year-old African girl’s struggle to acclimate after immigrating to America. —Lanford Beard

Coming Attraction: Golden Boy
Why He’ll Be Big: Hailing from Oxford, U.K., James has built a résumé with range, playing the unforgettable (if literally short-lived) role of Kemal Pamuk in Downton Abbey to starring as a vamp sidekick in 2012’s Underworld: Awakening. But high-profile crime drama Golden Boy has the bona fides — a solid network in CBS and an experienced cast to back him up, including Pushing Daisies‘ Chi McBride, True Blood‘s Kevin Alejandro, and actress-singer Bonnie Somerville. —Lanford Beard

Why She’ll Be Big: This British singer’s been hot in the U.K. for a year and just got nominated for a Mercury Prize. More recently, she ushered in her Stateside debut with sold-out shows in New York City and L.A. Sade and Chaka Khan have found an able successor. —Josh Stillman

Coming Attraction: The First Rule of Swimming
Why She’ll Be Big: Brkic’s debut, released May 28, tackles heavyweight topics like betrayal and loss. Croatian heroine Magdalena travels to New York City to search for her vanished younger sister, and the story billows out to grapple with the haunted nature of Magdalena’s war-torn homeland. —Lanford Beard

Why She’ll Be Big: In October, Angel Haze dropped a gut-wrenching version of Eminem’s ”Cleaning Out My Closet” that recounts her childhood sexual abuse. Now the 21-year-old rapper’s being written up by the New York Times and Rolling Stone. At this rate, she’s a prime contender for ”next big thing,” no questions asked. —Josh Stillman