As of next year, three of America’s most famous superheroes will be played by Brits: Superman (Henry Cavill), Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield), and Batman (Christian Bale). No, we’re not going to protest out of some misguided jingoism (although we will point out the horror with which our friends across the Atlantic responded to Renee Zellweger playing Bridget Jones once upon a time).

We don’t know if it’s the popularity of rigorous youth drama programs or what, but the British are invading Hollywood at a rate that rivals the arrival of the Aussies in the late ’90s. Looking at the more established young slate of English talent (Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, the Harry Potter trifecta, and Robert Pattinson to name a few), we say welcome to the next gen of Bright Young Brits.

Aaron Johnson
In his home country, Johnson’s a hardcore tabloid target for falling in love with, impregnating, and proposing to his much-older “Nowhere Boy” director, Sam Taylor-Wood, but in the rest of the world, he’s best known for being one of the bad-ass young stars of “Kick Ass.” The controversial blockbuster was a sleeper hit last year, and plans are underway for a sequel in 2012. In the meantime, Johnson will star opposite Glenn Close and Mia Wasikowska in Rodrigo Garcia’s 19th Century Irish drama “Albert Nobbs.”

Rest of the list here.