‘A criminal Glen-terprise’: Forget ‘American Idol,’ Glen Powell has the best new reality competition

From Top Gun: Maverick to Twisters, Glen Powell continues to plot his takeover of Hollywood. The good news is he isn’t alone on his quest to superstardom. The world can’t get enough of him – and neither can showbiz as offers hit his agent’s inbox left, right, and center.

The Running Man – the remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger dystopian delight – is next on the agenda for him, and he’s already said he’d be open to playing Batman if given the chance to do it. So, what in the world is stopping James Gunn from calling him already?

This past weekend, Austin, Texas decided to celebrate one of its more famous sons by organizing a Glen Powell lookalike contest. Over one hundred contestants lined up to show off their best Powell impressions and a bunch of different looks from Powell’s most celebrated films, such as Twisters and Hit Man, while Powell’s mother judged the talent on display. The grand prize? Prepare to be blown away by this treasure chest that would have Davy Jones green with envy: $5 in cash, a cowboy hat, a free queso from Torchy’s for 12 months, and Mrs. Powell’s approval.

When social media caught wind of the news, it was nonstop laughs and memes about the ridiculous nature of the contest and having Powell’s mother at hand to witness the shenanigans. One commentator on X wrote: “Bet Glen Powell’s mom just picked the guy with the best vibes. It’s amazing.”

As per Fox 7 Austin, the winner was Maxwell Braunstein. When asked about it, Braunstein said, “My face hasn’t hurt like this since I was ten and at Disney World.” Yeah, everyone gets the jokes here – Powell has a permanent grin on his face in his movies, and Braunstein pulls it off to perfection.

However, this wasn’t the only surprise of the day, as Powell appeared via FaceTime to speak to his lookalikes. At first, he couldn’t help but crack a joke about how this looked more like a celebration for Justin Hartley before admitting he’d had assembled the right crew for a potential heist job. He said:

“We don’t need masks because we all have the same face: It’s the perfect crime. They can’t get all of us because we are one – a criminal Glen-terprise.”

Powell also reserved a special prize for the winner. The actor explained how he always has his parents cameo in his movies, so he was extending the same courtesy to Braunstein. “The winner of the Glen Powell lookalike contest wins their parents or any family member of their choice a cameo in my next movie,” Powell said.

Considering the trajectory that Powell’s career is on this could be a potentially massive prize. There were rumors that Powell was replacing Tom Cruise as the face of the Mission: Impossible franchise, which Powell denied, but let’s be honest here: That wouldn’t be something that he would admit to now, especially with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on the horizon.

That said, if Powell passes on the Mission: Impossible gig or a superhero role, the producers can just call Maxwell Braunstein. Honestly, this guy is a dead ringer for Powell to the point that even the actor’s mother approves.