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His name is infamous, his last name is annoying to spell, and he’s a former Disney Channel superstar, but now Shia Labeouf is officially a Hollywood A-Lister.  He is a 23 year old kid who has history of driving drunk and an affliction for finding himself in the tabloids.  Be that as it may, this past week “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” took in over $201 million, just losing out to The Dark Knight ($203 million) for the second largest 5 day opening in film history.  The man behind that success is none other than Shia Labeouf.  Sure Megan Fox is a big part of this, but they simply could not make this sequel without Shia Labeouf.

I do not want to confuse super stardom with talent; super stardom and talent are mutually exclusive.  Look at Tom Cruise for example.  He is most definitely a Hollywood A-Lister but I wouldn’t say he’s the most talented actor in Hollywood.  This goes for other A-Listers such as Stallone, Nick Cage, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck.

When an actor becomes unexpendable it is a strong sign that he has reached the highest level of super stardom.  Could Marvel make any more Spiderman movies without Toby? Could anyone else be John Maclane other than Bruce Willis? Could any Jim Carrey movie star anyone else besides Jim Carrey? Well, now Shia has made himself attached to a film that cannot be made without him.  Not just any film as well, a monster cash cow giant franchise. He is Sam Witwicky and that’s that.

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I want to mention a couple other things that give him super stardom.  First, he has a very distinct name stage name.  The name actually distinguishes him from the rest of his peers and has become synonmous with his face.  The name is also part of his brand and adds extra muscle to a film lineup.  Second, he has become Steven Spielberg’s boy.  The part of Mutt Williams in last Summer’s Indiana Jones film was pretty much written for him. Does Spielberg and Lucas have future plans to keep the Indiana Jones series alive? Do they have plans to make Labeouf the new Jones?  Well it sure looks like it. Spielberg is also a part producer in the Transformer movies.  He is a pretty good ally to have in an attempt to climb the Hollywood A-List.

In 2005, Shia starred in the film “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” a golf movie about the story of an amateur golfer defeating golf legends to win the 1913 US Open. The film is directed by Bill Paxton.  If you want to see the dawning of Labeouf’s real star power, watch that film.  He does an incredible job bringing his character to life.  The film is also a great film, especially for golf lovers.

From tabloids to dollar signs, Labeouf is all over Hollywood these days. He’s got an arrogant swagger and he’s kind of funny.  In his movies, he sort of has that everyday kid personality and it makes him more likeable on screen. If things continue to move in their current direction, Shia Labeouf will be around for a long time.

Shia Labeouf, welcome to the Hollywood A-List