Bella Thorne

Bella Thorne has spent most of her life being watched. In 2026, she is increasingly becoming the person deciding what audiences see.

The actress, who became a Disney Channel star as CeCe Jones on Shake It Up, is now set to write, direct and star in a new Spring Breakers sequel. It is a major creative leap for Thorne, but one that has been building for years through short films, music videos and, most importantly, her first feature behind the camera.

In 2025, Thorne wrapped Color Your Hurt, her feature directorial debut, which she also wrote and produced. The film follows a young gay man searching for acceptance while growing up in a deeply religious community. After producers saw an early cut, Thorne said they asked her to write something for the next Spring Breakers. By August 2026, she revealed she would take on the project as writer and director, as well as star in it.

© Paul Archuleta

The assignment carries particular resonance for someone who came of age during the era the original Spring Breakers captured. Thorne has spoken about being only 12 when she and other young Disney stars, including Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and her Shake It Up co-star Zendaya, were constantly compared and scrutinized over who might become the industry’s next “bad girl.” More than a decade later, she is approaching that cultural territory from the other side of the camera.

Her move into directing has not meant abandoning acting. Find Your Friends, a thriller in which she plays Lavinia alongside Helena Howard, Zión Moreno, Chloe Cherry and Sophia Ali, premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2025 before arriving on Shudder in June 2026.

© Dominik Bindl

Born in Pembroke Pines, Florida, Thorne grew up with a Cuban-Italian father, whom she lost in a motorcycle accident when she was nine. In 2025, the actress reflected on how that loss shaped her relationship with her heritage. She shared that when she was younger, she sometimes wished she looked more Latina because it made her feel closer to him. Over the years, she has embraced that side of herself and continues to celebrate it proudly.

That history makes this stage of her career feel less like another reinvention and more like a shift in authorship. After growing up inside an entertainment culture eager to define young women before they could define themselves, Thorne is writing, producing and directing stories, and in 2026, Bella Thorne is directing her path and herself.