Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth

2011 is going to be another huge year for films, so amongst the glitz and the glamour, there's a whole bunch of young new upstarts trying to break through and make their mark.

Some have made their mark and are set to make it bigger and some are about to make a fresh mark. Here's the 12 that you ought to look out for.

Here are six of the men you need to keep your eye on in the coming year.

Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy first came to the attention of the movie-going public in Black Hawk Down when he made his debut. However, his first big role came in the form of Bronson, the story of Charles Bronson, the man infamous for being the most violent prisoner in Britain.

Hardy grew his own moustache and shaved his head for the role and along the way he impressed a certain director who goes by the name of Christopher Nolan. He appeared in 2010's Inception, one of the biggest films of the year and had one of the standout roles in that.

He will appear in Christopher Nolan's next film, The Dark Knight Rises. It's a small film about a vigilante who dresses up as a bat, you may have heard of it. Rumours are, that he will play one of the main villains.

He's also widely reported to be taking over from Mel Gibson in the new Mad Max film and will be appearing in a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy remake. Keep your eyes on Tom Hardy, you might be looking at a future superstar.

Zach Galifianakis

Most of you, who have seen The Hangover, will know Zach Galifianakis as Alan, the weird brother-in-law who wears a satchel and talks about his wolfpack. However, the comedy actor is quickly stacking up the film offers and stealing every scene he appears in.

Before he appeared in The Hangover, he was best known for his Between Two Ferns appearances on Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's website FunnyOrDie.com, where he has conducted awkward interviews with stars such as Jon Hamm, Michael Cera and Charlize Theron.

Now, he's appeared in Dinner For Schmucks and re-united with Hangover director Todd Phillips for Due Date. In 2011 he'll be back with the gang for The Hangover 2, which is to be set in Thailand. He'll also be providing his voice to Puss In Boots, the Shrek spin-off, as Humpty Dumpty and in The Muppets movie as Hobo Jo.

Sam Riley

Sam Riley is most famous for playing the frontman of Joy Division, Ian Curtis in the film Control in 2007.

He will be appearing in 2011 in Brighton Rock, a British film which has been gaining some very positive reviews, but probably most interesting is that he will appearing in the big-screen adaptation of Jack Kerouac's iconic story, On The Road, which is said to have inspired Hunter S. Thompson's Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and such films as Easy Rider and Thelma and Louise.

The role of Kerouac's alter-ego Sal Paradise was once offered to Marlon Brando and was once rumoured to be going to Ethan Hawke, but finally the film is to go ahead with Riley in the lead role, alongside Garrett Hedlund, Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart and Viggo Mortensen. This should put the Brit firmly on the movie map.

Andrew Garfield

At the time when Andrew Garfield was announced as the new Peter Parker in the upcoming Spiderman reboot, there were whispers about who he was and whether he could handle the role.

Since then, he has astounded everyone in The Social Network and also in Never Let Me Go alongside Keira Knightley and another promising newcomer, Carey Mulligan.

Any and all doubts about his role in the untitled Spiderman reboot have ebbed away and it looks like a promising new start for the franchise and for Garfield.

Chris Hemsworth

It remains to be seen just how well he can act, but Chris Hemsworth has certainly got the look of a promising action star. The Australian actor started life on Home and Away and next year he'll be stepping into the shoes of one of the latest Marvel heroes to be brought to the big screen, Thor.

He will also appear in the culmination of all the recent Marvel films, The Avengers. Appearing in one of the most major franchises of recent years will surely throw Hemsworth firmly onto the map.

Jesse Eisenberg

Eisenberg started with some fairly simplistic comparisons to Superbad star Michael Cera but his appearance in this years The Social Network has shown he can pull of much more than just the awkward geek.

He won the Best Actor award from the National Board of Review. In 2011 you can see him return with Woody Harrelson to Zombieland in Zombieland 2, and he is starring alongside Danny McBride in 30 Minutes or Less as a pizza delivery boy who is kidnapped. Both are directed by Ruben Fleischer.

FemaleFirst - James Butlin