The Recruit Trailer: Noah Centineo Has Officially Entered His Action Star Era

The internet's love affair with Noah Centineo began somewhere between "The Fosters" and "To All The Boys I've Loved Before," both of which followed lovestruck teenage boys navigating classic high school drama. But ever since that Netflix trilogy came to a close, Centineo has been changing up his image to leave those schoolboy days behind. Shaving his head? Check. Co-starring in a superhero movie? Check. Taking the lead as a hero? Almost check. Bagging a crime thriller instead? That works! So I guess it's official — between his "Black Adam" stint as the young metahuman Atom Smasher and his upcoming role in Netflix's "The Recruit," Centineo has entered his action star era.

Inevitably, it's always hard to accept the next chapter of an actor's career, but that feels especially true for the performers whose signature role is a doe-eyed teenage boy. Personally, Centineo still falls in the same bucket as Tom Holland for me: watching the latter play a bartender in "Uncharted" was actively hilarious because I was never convinced the kid was even old enough to drink. Similarly, Centineo as a CIA lawyer seems impossible when he should obviously be walking Lara Jean to chemistry class. But sure, whatever you say, Netflix.

Thankfully, it seems like "The Recruit" will lean into Centineo's youth — he stars as a 24-year-old new recruit to the CIA, trying to find his footing in a dangerously chaotic job.

Noah Centineo is "The Recruit," aka a fledgling CIA lawyer who ends up dangerously entangled in a plot to expose the agency. Centineo stars as Owen Hendriks, a young lawyer who might just break the record for the worst first week on the job: before he can even settle into his new CIA office, Owen discovers a threatening letter from former asset Max Meladze (Laura Haddock). Max demands to be exonerated for a serious crime, otherwise, she'll take the agency down with her. Just like that, Owen is wrapped up in the absurd world of power politics, while trying to complete an impossible assignment.

When names flash across the screen indicating the series shared creatives with the likes of "The Bourne Indentity," and "The Rookie," it's no big surprise. This is a very familiar subgenre, including lots of quippy dialogue, exciting shootouts, and daring chase scenes. We even glimpse the occasional kidnapping: Owen strapped to a chair, blindfolded, or in the back of a truck with a bag over his head. Classic secret agent antics! Centineo's Owen isn't exactly a James Bond type — rather than sip martinis at a bar, he opts for slamming back a White Claw or nursing a pina colada — but you get the idea.

The series is created by Alexi Hawley, who also created the very similarly named cop procedural "The Rookie" and its spinoff "The Rookie: Feds." In addition to Centineo, the cast includes Aarti Mann, Daniel Quincy Annoh, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Kristian Bruun, Laura Haddock, Colton Dunn, Fivel Stewart, Byron Mann, Angel Parker, and Kaylah Zande.

"The Recruit" premieres on Netflix on December 16, 2022.